AN AXE YES, BUT FOR WHAT AND HOW OLD?

[Cobalt*Blue]

I found this Axe head at a mill ruin. Truth be told, I found two of them along with a splitting wedge all in a 10" x 10" area. The other axe is similar to this one and I can post pic's of it as well as the wedge if need be. The mill was active from the 1830's through the mid 1900's. I have never seen this shape before and was hoping to learn a little about it. Width varies from 5" to 6.5". Height varies from 3.75" to 5". Thank you in advance for your help. hh blue

 

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[Bigcypresshunter]

Maybe this chart will help.

 

[truckinbutch]

That chart is staggering ! Been using axes for over 50 years and didn't know any of what you posted .
Thanks .
Jim

 

[Tnmountains]

Looks like a hoosier/zeek worn down on the bottom of the bit ? Nice chart bgcyphuntr.

 

[mickk]

I got a 200 year old axe, it has only had three new handles and two new heads!

 

[IronSpike]

Looks like a hoosier/zeek worn down on the bottom of the bit ? Nice chart bgcyphuntr.

Agree with the hoosier/zeek look. Can you post a pic of the other axe found?

 

[digging wv]

with the offset eye in relation to the blade, mt guess would be a hewing axe to hew logs to get a flat side while saving the old knuckles.

 

[Cobalt*Blue]

Sorry folks... last night was date night... but I will have new pictures posted later tonight. I believe that the axes I have are not on the chart posted (thank you, good info). Also, I do not believe that the axes have been altered, chipped, or reshaped. More on that with the new pictures. hh blue

 

[johnnyi]

I don't think the eye of this axe is offset. It is worn some on the blade, but you can still see its basic shape. I don't think it's a hoosier zeek, but more likely it is the type of colonial period axe head you often find in eastern Pa. and I assume new england, where the upper plain is flat (not turned up like a hoosier), and the lower plain has just a gentle curve to the heel. These colonial axe heads are almost as deep in the eye as they are long from pole to edge (sometimes looking as tall as they are long). Judging from the chart here, this axe would most likely have looked like a
"new england". The Mercer Museum in Doylestown Pa. has a wonderful collection of these axes, as does the Landis museum farther west. If you want to go nuts, come down and visit it, because Henry Chapman Mercer was a man who over a hundred years ago saved and recorded virtualy everything to do with colonial artifacts, to the point where he drew square nails from each historic house of the day so as to record the very subtle differences in the nail heads used! Anyway, it is a wonderful and very old find of your's , and I'll see if I can dig out some examples I have buried around here somewhere which will show you the dimensions before wear. Again, cool find!

 

[Cobalt*Blue]

Here is the other axe (left) and the Splitting wedge that I found at the old mill site. This is only speculative but to me it looks like some one from the past was using these axes to drive the wedge and beat the living sugar out of them. You can see were the second axe (left) is broken and bashed in to one side the original axe I posted (right) has also seen some abuse. It looks like a sledge was not available and some one made due. Thanks for your interest and I'll continue to research the shape. There is a picture of one out there some where. hh blue

 

[truckinbutch]

Eye does look like it's deformed in the same way as I destroyed some as a kid .

 

[traderoftreasures]

common for split rail fence.

 

[Cobalt*Blue]

Better pictures of the second axe...

 

[traderoftreasures]

was it by a chopped down cherry tree?