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question for the axe experts
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07-17-2015, 04:31 PM
Found this little baby today at an etstea sale. Little bit of surface rust and there is some slight pitting well back from the edge. Here's the question: shouldn't this have a longer handle? This one is only about 16" and its offset.
   Thanks!!
Currently a smarta$$ but hoping to one day graduate to wisea$$
07-17-2015, 05:15 PM
It looks about right for a hewing hatchet. I have a similar one from my grandfather. While axes/hatchets came in many different configurations, the axes generally had a much beefier head, especially in the eye and poll area.
07-17-2015, 05:17 PM
It's a broad hatchet for hewing. That handle length should be ok. The handle is offset to protect your knuckles in use. The head is symmetrical so it can be used righty or lefty depending on the side the handle is put in.
Nice find!
Bob
"A dull mind uses dull tools" - my Uncle Jim RIP 
07-17-2015, 05:57 PM
Hewing hatchet, it is. Set up for right-handed use. Hewing hatchets are used for close-up work like shaping handles or bowls, rounding over handles, and/or carving.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
07-17-2015, 06:39 PM
Awesome hatchet! Now, if it's still ground to a chisel edge and not reground to a knife edge by someone it's a rare find! It seems like most I find are ground improperly by a well-meaning former owner.
Josh 
07-19-2015, 04:46 PM
You wouldn't want to swing this thing from the end of the handle. You'll want to choke up on it a bit, so your knuckles just clear the workpiece.
Steve S.
------------------------------------------------------ Tradition cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour. - T. S. Eliot Tutorials and Build-Alongs at The Literary Workshop |
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