What are these ax (hammer / hatchet) heads?

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I feel silly asking this, but, I am cleaning my shop and trying to deal with a bunch of stuff that belonged to my Great Grand Mother (died in the 70's). Some of the stuff dates back to the Civil War. No idea about these ax heads. I am in the process of removing rust (Evapo Rust).

This ax has a handle that is not in great shape and it pulled right out. The handle is like that of a hammer. Also, what is up with that notch?


axe_head_01_IMG_20200126_215914.jpg

Then we have this one, which does NOT have the standard hammer and the "cutting edge" has been completely removed so there is > 1/8" blunt edge. I assume that someone intended to completely redo the edge and that it was not intended to be used blunt. I assume that this is a hatchet head and that the previous one was used for something else. Since I do not have any handle examples for this, I want to try and guess what the handle would normally look like for this type of hatchet.

axe_head_02_IMG_20200127_114205.jpg

I intend to try to make handle for these, but my first step is to remove rust and then sharpen them. Then, I can worry about a handle.

After I know what these might be called, I can probably find some pictures that show these with a handle attached. Lazy me will just buy a handle if I can find one, and will make one if I cannot.

[Keith Outten]

Axe Head patterns.jpg

I thought this would help but I don't see your axe shapes.

Bob Garay shared a picture here that looks like your first picture.
Jim Paulson aslo shared a couple of similar pictures.
Do a search here, you should be able to get their opinions.

[John K Jordan]

Some pictures to look through: https://www.google.com/search?q=hamm...w=1448&bih=779

[David Carroll]

I believe these are both Kent Pattern hatchets. The one on top is a carpenter's hatchet. The hammer poll is used for driving in nails and the notch used for pulling nails. I worked with an old time carpenter who used this type of hatchet for cedar shingles. He'd trim them to width by splitting them and then true them up by whittling the the edge with the bit end. Then nail them into place. Often he'd partially drive a nail to set a batten to align a course of shingles or drive a nail part-way in to hold a snap line. Then used the notch to remove the nail when finished. Since it was the only tool he carried, it had multi-functions.

DC

[Stewie Simpson]

I believe these are both Kent Pattern hatchets. The one on top is a carpenter's hatchet. The hammer poll is used for driving in nails and the notch used for pulling nails. I worked with an old time carpenter who used this type of hatchet for cedar shingles. He'd trim them to width by splitting them and then true them up by whittling the the edge with the bit end. Then nail them into place. Often he'd partially drive a nail to set a batten to align a course of shingles or drive a nail part-way in to hold a snap line. Then used the notch to remove the nail when finished. Since it was the only tool he carried, it had multi-functions.

DC

The top photo is a Shingling Hatchet.

[Tom M King]

Shingle hatchet, and if the second one is asymetrical, which I expect it is, a hewing hatchet. I keep a pair of hewing hatchets, with each working an opposite direction of the other. If the timber is hard, and has large knots, I use the hatchets on the knots because it's a lot less trouble working on them than getting a knick out of the hewing axe, and they're good for working on smaller areas.

I neither know why the edge is blunt, nor the nail pulling slot so large, but probably due to someone's odd reasoning.

I don't know where the second hewing hatchet is in this picture. It's around there somewhere. It's also useful to have a regular one that goes to a symmetrical point.

[Jim Koepke]

The edge may have been ground to correct what was done in the past.

A previous owner tried putting a bevel on the wrong side of one of my hewing hatchets:

Hewing Hatchet Backs.jpg

In this image the hatchet on the right is set up for right handed use. It came to me as a left handed hatchet. It is a Kelly Works hatchet made with the intention of being set up for either handed use.

jtk

[Andrew Pitonyak]

After some rust removal, they look about like this:

IMG_20200127_193953.jpg

Near the edge, there is something stamped. I could not read it, so, I dropped it under my new USB camera. I took three photos and stitched them together. I think that it says GermanTown

GermanTown.jpg


So this one is a "hewing Hatchet", which means that it should have a single bevel? I can easily sharpen it that way, especially since it currently has had the sharp side trimmed.

Thanks for all the good information. I will take a closer look after I eat. Can't stay up late tonight, I have a very early morning meeting.

Andy

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Thanks for the detailed photos of this Stewie.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Will the handle be different for left / right use? I will make mine a right-hander.

[Tom M King]

Hewing hatchets don't need off set handles like a hewing axe does. They wouldn't be a bad thing, but I've never seen any. I'm not sure how an offset handle would swing with one hand though.

My Vaughn had its original handle, and the other unnamed one had no handle. I just bought another handle like the Vaughn from Ace Hardware for the old one, and I've never complained about either.