Roofing axe or a carpenter’s axe, age, hand forged?

[Ant]

Is the one on the left a roofing axe head or a carpenter’s axe head? Can you give me your assessment as to its age?

The older one was rusty when I found it back in 1980 and has seined been cleaned with a die grinder. It looks hand forged and all, so it might be old. I think someone left it after a prospecting venture. It was an eyeballed find during a deer hunt and was found not far from the place that the Zodiac killer took his first victim and left a survivor (Lake Berryessia). I found a few arrow heads in this area too. I put a modified hickory sledge hammer handle on it. It was originally wedged with hickory wedges. But the head got loose after a few uses. Then I pound a few nails in to tighten it up and that cracked the head.



The other one was found in a relative’s shad. I know it looks modern. Both of them had been uesable until the old one cracked.

 

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[Lafitte]

The one on the left is a shingle axe. It's really hard to determine the age on those things. Good old steel.

 

[Ant]

The one on the left is a shingle axe. It's really hard to determine the age on those things. Good old steel.

Hey thanks lafitte, I.m satisfied with that. Thanks again and HH.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Looks like a name stamped on the side of the polled hatchet. Can you hake it out? Maybe take a pencil rubbing?

 

[Ant]

Looks like a name stamped on the side of the polled hatchet. Can you hake it out? Maybe take a pencil rubbing?

Thanks for pointing that out Charlie P. (NY), I'll check it out when I get home. I think that might be vice marks but I still check it out and post what I find. Thanks again.

 

[Gribnitz]

The REALLY old axes were forged from a single sheet of iron and folded over. You can see the seam on these type of old axe heads. I have one, but it needs an electolysis bath and I am too lazy to put one together :P

 

[Hill Billy]

The one on the left, top pic looks like a roofers hammer, one on the right looks like an old drywall hammer.IMO HB

 

[Miner49er]

Hey Hoss, how long have you been back in Nv.?

 

[Angelo]

There's a bunch on ebay. roofing axes.

Tony

 

[Ant]

I think the marks are from vice jaws. Yeap those axes look just like mine.

 

[silverswede]

As roofing hatchets they probably pre-date composition shingles as they have a set of 2 or 3 holes in the blade that has a "pin" for gauging the coverage area on composition shingles. These would probably been used for shake or shingle roofs. Age...old.

 

[paul1410]

Cool old tools, Ant.

I have one just like the one on the left. I don't think it's too old, certainly less than 100 years. I still use it several times a year.

I'm sure a welder could stitch that crack and it would be good as new.

 

[mojjax]

Here is a picture from an Eric Sloane book on tools .

 

[TreasureTales]

http://www.roseantiquetools.com/ has plenty of info about old tools, including old hatchets. Worth a look when you have the time.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

To me the left is indeed a roofing/shingle hammer and the right is a drywall hammer as some others have said.