That refers to the kind of angle that the head is at right? I've seen plenty of axes like that, obviously those three I own but never knew what to refer to it as. And I'm not sure I've ever seen a poll-less axe, maybe I'm thinking of it being different than it really is, do you have a picture of one? Or is it just a concept you refer to and not a real thing?
Maine Axes -post 'em up
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That refers to the kind of angle that the head is at right? I've seen plenty of axes like that, obviously those three I own but never knew what to refer to it as. And I'm not sure I've ever seen a poll-less axe, maybe I'm thinking of it being different than it really is, do you have a picture of one? Or is it just a concept you refer to and not a real thing?
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Like the one on the left. It's more difficult to get good balance on an axe that lacks a poll.
A poll-less axe can still perform very well. Bit shape is probably more important. But the better balance of a poll axe does give them a slight advantage - other things being equal.
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It certainly looks like an Oakland head and was made the same way, but could be another Maine maker besides E&S. The weight stamp is correct but other Oakland makeerst stamp there. Aside from that, there is no visible makers Mark, no date stamp behind the eye and no initial in front of it.
I have another that I need to ID. Classic Maine shape, only marking is a diamond shape behind the eye where the date would be on an E&S.
Like the one on the left. It's more difficult to get good balance on an axe that lacks a poll.
A poll-less axe can still perform very well. Bit shape is probably more important. But the better balance of a poll axe does give them a slight advantage - other things being equal.
I was going to say a basque style axe but didn't know if it applied to that because it's hung differently,
Been awhile since I've posted on here at all but I hit it pretty good the other day. I found a guy from Maine online who typically has a few vintage axes he sells and I guess he usually has Spillers and Emerson and Stevens as well as some others, Snow and Nealley, Witherell, Tirell (spelling?) etc. Well considering Spiller and E&S are by far my favorite axe makers I had to make the trip up from Mass to see what he had. It was only about a 2 hr drive and I had nothing planned for the day so it was well worth it. Ended up spending more than I had planned but man am I glad I did, and I'll probably end up buying from him again, super nice guy and super nice axes.
All but one of these are what I bought from the guy in Maine, one of them I just so happened to get in the mail that same day and it was a Spiller so it made the cut. Top one is a 4lb Spiller jersey on a vintage handle, this was my white whale, a 4lb Spiller jersey is not easy to come by. Next is a NE Old Yank 3 1/4 lb made by Emerson and Stevens. Next is a Spiller 3 1/2 lb jersey, this is the one I received in the mail and am currently almost finished making the handle for it, got it hung and everything just in the process of the finishing touches. Next is a Spiller double bit, likely 3 1/4 judging by what it weighs in now and the size but the bottom number in the fraction isn't legible. And finally a wedge pattern splitting axe made by either John King Axe and Tool Co or KATCO, same company but name differed over time and the stamp is partially worn but most likely KATCO, the guy was nice enough to give me this one because I bout a few axes from him and he could tell I was passionate about Maine axes. The Spiller double bit was also one of my white whales, once I finish the handle on the 3 1/2 jersey the double bit is up next. I've been really lucky lately with my finds, my two somewhat realistic white whales left are an E&S double bit and an E&S jersey, preferably 3.5-4lb+, as you can tell I have a thing for Maine axes.
Close up of the 4lb Spiller jersey pre cleaning the minor rust.
NE Old Yank, not the best picture, I screwed up the lighting, the stamp is a little worn but it's totally visible.
3 1/2lb Spiller jersey, I said the 4lb was my white whale but this one is probably equally as awesome, especially when I'm finished the handmade ash handle.
Spiller double bit, likely 3 1/4lb. Ironically enough I actually bid on this one on eBay but I ended up forgetting to check back when the listing was ending and missed out on it but still ended up with it so I guess it was just meant to be.
John King/KATCO wedge splitting axe, this is a really neat little axe, it's unfortunate the maker and weight are worn but there is a "19" stamped opposite side of the eye from the weight, possibly the date? Still need to clean up the minor rust on it but I may make a handle for this as well, I have a few octagonal a laying around though it might be cool to mix it up for a change.
Hopefully sometime soon I will be able to post that I found an E&S double and jersey, I won't rest until I do! Haha no but really I will post an update when I finish with my handle on the 3 1/2lb Spiller.
All but one of these are what I bought from the guy in Maine, one of them I just so happened to get in the mail that same day and it was a Spiller so it made the cut. Top one is a 4lb Spiller jersey on a vintage handle, this was my white whale, a 4lb Spiller jersey is not easy to come by. Next is a NE Old Yank 3 1/4 lb made by Emerson and Stevens. Next is a Spiller 3 1/2 lb jersey, this is the one I received in the mail and am currently almost finished making the handle for it, got it hung and everything just in the process of the finishing touches. Next is a Spiller double bit, likely 3 1/4 judging by what it weighs in now and the size but the bottom number in the fraction isn't legible. And finally a wedge pattern splitting axe made by either John King Axe and Tool Co or KATCO, same company but name differed over time and the stamp is partially worn but most likely KATCO, the guy was nice enough to give me this one because I bout a few axes from him and he could tell I was passionate about Maine axes. The Spiller double bit was also one of my white whales, once I finish the handle on the 3 1/2 jersey the double bit is up next. I've been really lucky lately with my finds, my two somewhat realistic white whales left are an E&S double bit and an E&S jersey, preferably 3.5-4lb+, as you can tell I have a thing for Maine axes.
Close up of the 4lb Spiller jersey pre cleaning the minor rust.
NE Old Yank, not the best picture, I screwed up the lighting, the stamp is a little worn but it's totally visible.
3 1/2lb Spiller jersey, I said the 4lb was my white whale but this one is probably equally as awesome, especially when I'm finished the handmade ash handle.
Spiller double bit, likely 3 1/4lb. Ironically enough I actually bid on this one on eBay but I ended up forgetting to check back when the listing was ending and missed out on it but still ended up with it so I guess it was just meant to be.
John King/KATCO wedge splitting axe, this is a really neat little axe, it's unfortunate the maker and weight are worn but there is a "19" stamped opposite side of the eye from the weight, possibly the date? Still need to clean up the minor rust on it but I may make a handle for this as well, I have a few octagonal a laying around though it might be cool to mix it up for a change.
Hopefully sometime soon I will be able to post that I found an E&S double and jersey, I won't rest until I do! Haha no but really I will post an update when I finish with my handle on the 3 1/2lb Spiller.
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The manner of hang affects the possible range of handle dimensions, but not the fundamentals of balance. The less poll there is and the deeper the bit, the more offset in the neck will be needed. While a naturally curved or steam-bent piece of wood will inherently be stronger than cut, if your grain alignment is good and vertical so you have continuous run of the ring growth through the neck offset hickory has shown to be more than strong enough to handle significantly offset necks without issue.
Hickory wood fibers average just under 1mm in length, so they're really pretty tiny. There's time yet for me to be proven wrong, but my experiments with offset handles so far has led me to believe that the ol' "cut grain" concern hasn't demonstrated itself to be an issue. That being said, more poll reduces the amount of offset needed for a given head so as long as you can get the balance of bit depth and head weight you want, having as close to an equalized poll as possible is a good thing. The closer the CoG sits to the middle of the handle the more balanced it'll be when the hand is immediately under the head, and you can use a smaller starting blank. Most American axes I've tested have balanced about 1/4" inside the front of the eye, and so at least some small degree of offset in the neck is of benefit, but not to nearly so great a degree as in axes without significant polls.
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If you look closely at that handle and what is in the eye hole............having a short squareish blade and thick eye walls helps as well.
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I can't recall where but I remember at one point reading a period description of a preference by Mainers for straight handles, and a lot of Maine axes--especially those by Emerson & Stevens and Spiller, often have more substantial polls than the national norm. It seems sensible that these things go hand in hand.
Cool thanks for the info, learn something new everyday. But it does make sense, I figured there was a reason why the two I have are hung at an angle like that but just never came across that reason in my reading/research. And you're right, Maine axes especially Spiller and E&S both tend to have a substantial poll at least from the patterns I've seen. The one that I posted that is hung at an angle is an E&S and it may have a bit less of a poll that some others but it doesn't seem to be considerably less than any other head similar in shape and size.
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That's a fine axe!
Thanks! It was my first time working with ash, it's a bit harder to work with than hickory but the end result was well worth it.
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Just finished the handle for the 3 1/2lb Spiller jersey from my previous post. The head was forged in 1948 and I hung it on a 28" ash handle with a black walnut wedge.
Great combination! Was the handle a rough cut blank, shaped somewhat, lathed, or cut from a board/stock? - not that it matters at all, just wondered if there was a story.
It looks like it wants to be used :thumbup:
It was a handle blank from Thrane, so it had the general shape of a handle but was still a 1.25" block of wood. But yeah I might test it out today, idk though I'm always worried it's gonna break right away after spending hours making it haha. I mean I have no reason to think it will, it seems solid and is hung well just me not wanting to see such a nice handle break right after I finish it so I might admire it for a few days first lol
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That sleeper's a beauty.
Yeah, I got it from the same guy I got the few Spillers and old yank that I posted a few days ago. He showed it to me when We were talking about Emerson & Stevens axes but the way he talked about it seemed like it was something he intended to keep. But I talked to him later on after I got home and he said he was surprised I didn't buy it, which I then proceeded to do lol. That definitely wasn't one I was about to let slide, it's pretty hard to find any E&S axe in good shape, nevermind something like that.
