Posted 11 years ago
Gnome
(1 item)
Axe head found in a "rusty market" in Geelong south of Melbourne (Australia - southern hemisphere). Obviously commercial and for some trade or other, it is 265mm long, blade width is 45mm. It is forged by folding and beating. Poll is fixed … somehow. Manufacturer is WARD - nice little crest and it says it's warranted. Despite the rust, the edge is still sharp(ish), though no signs of any sharpening or grinding.
Any one got any ideas? Gnome
Looks like the head of a mortising axe. It would have been used along side a froe and mallet most likely.
fhrjr2, hit that one on the head!
You will find similar ones if you do a Google image search.
Thanks for your responses. Sorry, my friends, I am ignorant of the term froe, though I do know what a mallet is. So, this axe is used to mortise what? Will do as you say and "Google" it. Regards, Gnome
Gnome - A froe is another type of cutting tool that you strike with a mallet. They are quite common and are used to cut wooden shingles from a chunk of a log. The shingle needs to taper over the length of it. That is where the mortising axe came in for this. The axe was easier to cut the taper with even though the froe usually had the same type end edge. The mortising axe was also used along side other tools like a timber slip to form mortise and tenon joints in timbers. The timbers might be part of a building, a covered bridge or anything else made of large timbers.
Thanks, fhrjr2, for your information. I wish I'd stumbled across this site weeks ago. I've had little luck getting anywhere with this until now. Thanks again. Gnome