It followed me home

thefirstsuspect · May 10, 2014

daizee said:
picked this up off the 'bay. So little info available online, but I gave the low bid and apparently there was no competition.
It's marked "GROVE Tool Works New York City" which has got to make it unusual. Can't imagine how long it's been since someone was making real tools in NYC. I'll put a file to the edge and see if it's a tool.
The cheeks are post-forging convexed and the poll is only slightly mushroomed. Someone went to a lot of trouble to get that hammer handle in there - I managed to wiggle it out by hand and now it's in the firewood pile.
The head weighs 1lb-14oz on the trigger pull gauge. It'll get a 20-28" haft of some kind.
That should do it for most axes for me. Except for the bearded one I'd like to have made when I'm flush, now I'm only interested in Connecticuts. If this can stop before I hit double-digits it will be a very good thing...

-Daizee

I like the fit. It suits the axe.

Jbmass · May 10, 2014

Square_peg said:
Geez! That's a great day of picking. Which is your favorite?

It's a toss between the Connecticut pattern Homestead and the Plumb Boy Scout. But because of condition and the matching handle and sheath, the plumb takes the win. It's really great.

Sparky415 · May 11, 2014

DarthTaco123 said:
The haft may have to go. It loosely fits, and has a...quality wedge.

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This reminded me of these two I picked up a while ago, they are resting in one of my 'projects' boxes at the min (no other markings)

Square_peg · May 11, 2014

I picked up this Lakeside timber framing slick at a local antique store. Overall length is 25-5/8". Blade is 3-3/8" wide. Overall weight with handle is a little over 5 pounds. The steel itself must be over 4 pounds. It has the heft of a full size axe.

SC T100 · May 13, 2014

Weird double post

SC T100 · May 13, 2014

Found a few things on a picking trip. No idea what many of them are though, so here goes:

Merit small hatchet...the head must only weight 3/4 of a pound...pretty light, and on a neat (apparently) vintage handle that I think I can restore. It's got a nasty chip coming off the handle base, but a little epoxy should fix it up. Any idea if it's a good one? I haven't been able to find much information yet. It's currently in a vinegar soak.

hard to see, but the other stamp says F7

And there's a minor crack in the eye that extends from the bottom upwards about 1/8" that I don't think I will worry about.

Splitting maul...no name...could be a cheapo that's been sitting around. Stamped M6 and Wear Safety Goggles. It's an axe-eye maul, so I like it better than the sledge eye that I already have.

A "Worth" brand hatchet...can't find any info so far on this one either. It seems vintage, but I'm not sure...the handle has a nasty, yellowed lacquer on it and an odd-shaped handle. May have been painted at some point too.

An unknown axe head...has a temper line, so it must be decent at least. The poll is pretty mushroomed, but the eye is straight as I can tell...must be good steel. It's stamped with a 3 on the side, an H on the side, and a small 40 on the bottom of the poll.

Nevermind the discolored bit section...it's just still wet from a minor cleaning I gave it.
Poll...eye seems straight, even though the pic makes it look crooked. The pic also makes the mushroom look worse than it is, but there it is anyway.

And then this Heller file...it's huge and feels like it's been rarely used, if ever. The handle soaked up a ton of BLO last night...it still feels very very sharp. Impressive file for $2.

Like I said, it's pretty big.

The handle is stamped Lutz File and Tool Co

Any info would be appreciated as I am still looking into some of these. I'm really hoping to find out more about the big axe head...it's in the vinegar so hopefully I'll find more out later tonight. :thumbup:

G-pig · May 13, 2014

That axe with the lugs was probably made in Oakland, Maine. Without a makers mark it's hard to tell which company, but give it a vinegar soak or wire brush it and see if there is one.

M3mphis · May 13, 2014

Square_peg said:
I picked up this Lakeside timber framing slick at a local antique store. Overall length is 25-5/8". Blade is 3-3/8" wide. Overall weight with handle is a little over 5 pounds. The steel itself must be over 4 pounds. It has the heft of a full size axe.

]

Wow, that is a beast! Ya know....I have a Lakeside cruiser...that would sure go well with it....

SC T100 · May 13, 2014

G-pig said:
That axe with the lugs was probably made in Oakland, Maine. Without a makers mark it's hard to tell which company, but give it a vinegar soak or wire brush it and see if there is one.

Will do! It's in the vinegar now...brass brushing to follow. I'll post what I find.

Square_peg · May 13, 2014

M3mphis said:
Wow, that is a beast! Ya know....I have a Lakeside cruiser...that would sure go well with it....

I'll send it to ya right away. Hold your breath until it gets there!

Wait, I think I may have misread you. Did you mean you wanted to send me your Lakeside axe?

I love the weight of this thing. Once I get it sharpened up I think it will shave wood very nicely just with the momentum of the 4+ pounds of steel. Shouldn't even need a mallet.

Steve Tall · May 14, 2014

Square_peg said:
...Once I get it sharpened up I think it will shave wood very nicely just with the momentum of the 4+ pounds of steel. Shouldn't even need a mallet.

Interesting how the entire length of the left side is beveled, for right-handers to use "sideways", I guess.

Square_peg · May 14, 2014

The side bevels don't reach the edge. And they're obviously rather crude. I'll get them cleaned up. It'll be interesting to see how hard this is compared to a good vintage axe. I expect it will be impossible or nearly impossible to file.

SC T100 · May 14, 2014

The Merit is out of its bath. Looks good! Dull as can be but I have ways of making things pointy again!

The axe head from my previous post cleaned up decently. I didn't find any other stamps or marks though, unfortunately. It still only has a big "H" at the poll, and little "40" (maybe the year?) under the poll, and a "3" in the middle of the blade. It certainly has a tempered bit though!

I did find an odd shape inside the head at the back of the eye...it like a small thumb sized depression bisected by a thin groove, which you can sort of see here:

Interestingly, it looks like the hardened bit was added on, as you can see the tempered "V" here:

Without and other markings, I plan to clean it up and hang it (it should stick well, I slid it on a handle I had and the thing almost didn't want to come back off!).

Any suggestions for getting rid of the mushrooming that doesn't involve 6 hours of hard filing? I have a grinder, but would it overheat the poll? Would that matter since it's not tempered anyway?

Square_peg · May 14, 2014

You can beat some of the mushrooming back into the poll at low heat. I heat them with the torch until they're just too hot to touch. Then hammer on the anvil. Recall that the steel deformed cold. Some of it will go back at only warm heat. This steel will be somewhat weakened but since it's really only there to balance the axe it doesn't matter.

After you've hammered it then clean it up with the grinder. Just make sure to quench it frequently so you don't over heat it. And after you've ground it to the shape you can go back to the anvil and hammer on the grind marks to conceal them.

BG_Farmer · May 15, 2014

@sct100. I have a worth brand drawknife, so wondering if same as your hatchet.
According to this link, http://www.sydnassloot.com/brimfield/08904.htm , Worth ”was a brand name of the Bigelow & Dowse Hardware Co. of Boston. Most of the "Worth" tools were made for B & D by Peck, Stowe & Wilcox, and are quality tools."
My drawknife seems to be good quality...that's about all I know, except that the old hardware store stuff is almost always good and often better than today's boutiquey stuff. People actually used the tools they bought back in the old days, so they had realistic requirements!

garry3 · May 17, 2014

G-pig said:
That axe with the lugs was probably made in Oakland, Maine. Without a makers mark it's hard to tell which company, but give it a vinegar soak or wire brush it and see if there is one.

Good call. Two piece construction also I bet.

DarthTaco123 · May 18, 2014

Looks almost exactly like an Oakie I have made by TBA, mine doesn't have lugs though.

Sparky415 · May 18, 2014

This one followed me home this morning, its a
Kent pattern axe by Eagle Edge Tool Co

Square_peg · May 18, 2014

Those Kent patterns have a neat look to them. Like a smaller version of a masting axe.

SC T100 · May 19, 2014

Square_peg said:
You can beat some of the mushrooming back into the poll at low heat. I heat them with the torch until they're just too hot to touch. Then hammer on the anvil. Recall that the steel deformed cold. Some of it will go back at only warm heat. This steel will be somewhat weakened but since it's really only there to balance the axe it doesn't matter.

After you've hammered it then clean it up with the grinder. Just make sure to quench it frequently so you don't over heat it. And after you've ground it to the shape you can go back to the anvil and hammer on the grind marks to conceal them.

BG_Farmer said:
@sct100. I have a worth brand drawknife, so wondering if same as your hatchet.
According to this link, http://www.sydnassloot.com/brimfield/08904.htm , Worth ”was a brand name of the Bigelow & Dowse Hardware Co. of Boston. Most of the "Worth" tools were made for B & D by Peck, Stowe & Wilcox, and are quality tools."
My drawknife seems to be good quality...that's about all I know, except that the old hardware store stuff is almost always good and often better than today's boutiquey stuff. People actually used the tools they bought back in the old days, so they had realistic requirements!

garry3 said:
Good call. Two piece construction also I bet.

DarthTaco123 said:
Looks almost exactly like an Oakie I have made by TBA, mine doesn't have lugs though.

Wow, thanks for the replies!

Square_peg - I will try to heat it up and hammer the poll back before grinding, thanks for the tip!

BG_Farmer - thanks so much for the info on the Worth hatchet...and thanks for the link as well. I briefly touched the edge up and it certainly feels like a quality piece of steel, so I definitely think you're correct about them being excellent tools.

Garry - yes, it certainly appears to be a two-piece head...first one of the collection it seems.

G-Pig and DarthTaco123 - You may be correct, thanks for the line of searching. It certainly does look similar..too bad I can't find any other markings. I'll be hanging it after I repair the poll and give it an edge. It should be a nice axe. Also, just out of curiosity, why do you think it was made in Maine (forgive me, a I'm not up on manufacturers as much as I should be)?