Old axe heads: steel or iron

[dpaquin9000]

Hi,
I've recently started teaching myself axe sharpening and once decent at it I'd like to invest in a good broad axe and adze. In looking on ebay most axe and adze heads are listed as 'vintage' or antique. I plan to hew timber not hang it on the mantle. I'm concerned that I'll accidentally buying an iron piece and not steel. I'm a a < newb here but im assuming I don't want iron for everyday use. How can I tell if a head is steel?

Thanks,
Dan

[dablacksmith]

it would be hard to tell in a picture.. but there are brands that were noted for quality ... most of the stuff marked as vintage or antique if it is acually antique is going to be good quality .. partly cause the junk got broken a long time ago .in fact the cheapest (quality wise) ive seen has been built in relatively modern times (60s and newer).I think its cause they arnt a everyday use tool anymore . there are modern made tools that are quality just not the usual you find in stores.. good luck

[Mainely,Bob]

Many of the older "vintage" edged tools are actually both.The edge is "cast steel" laminated to a refined wrought iron body.If you look at the bevel where the edge has been sharpened you can actually see the line where the two were laminated together.Sometimes the sides will show this line as well.This type of construction is still being done by Japanese smiths who offer chisels,plane irons,etc at huge prices.
As dablacksmith said,the old tools that are still around are usually the good quality stuff as the rest didn`t last.
If you`re at all interested in the metalurgy and the history of older edged tools and info on how to spot the good manufacturers then the Davistown Museum website is an excellent source of info.Some of the names I look for are James Swan,Whitherby,Merril,Charles Buck and Underhill.Peck,Stow & Wilcox,later shortened to PS&W and then Pextow is a good brand too but brands tend to run by geographic location so you may not have the same names available that we have here in the New England area.

[ThomasPowers]

The old ones had a steeled edge applied and unless the forge weld failed or it's worn WAYYYYYY back it will still be in place.

I picked up a nice adz at the fleamarket here and dunked the head in my vinegar bucket to derust it overnight and forgot it for a week---showed the thin steel plate welded on the downside of the adz so it would be the edge quite clearly---so much so I lent it to a local Mat Sci prof to show his students.

If you look at ridiculously pricey high end japanese woodworking tools you will find new ones made from wrought iron with a steeled edge as that is considered *better* than a mono-steel tool.

So look more for a light elegant adz and not a heavy clunker used to roughly dress RR ties.

[MattBower]

I'm not sure I understand the question. Are you worried about getting a pure wrought iron axe, without a steel bit? If so, that seems highly unlikely. As Thomas indicated, they've been making 'em with steel edges for a very long time. At some point mild steel replaced wrought, but there's nothing wrong with WI and a welded-in, high carbon steel bit.

[dpaquin9000]

Thank you all. Very helpful. Sounds like your saying 100 years or newer is going to be steel or at least steel edged. Either would work for me. I like the idea that the weaker tools have been broken over the years leaving the stronger stuff to survive.

[Mainely,Bob]

I think you`ll also find that research will show that there is a very wide variety of seemingly simple tools like an axe or an adze to choose from.
A felling axe is a completely different animal from a hewing axe.Likewise a railroad adze is a far cry from a shipwright`s lipped adze.A good example in hammers would be the difference between a framing hammer(carpenter) and a chasing hammer(silversmith).The handle for an axe or especially an adze must be fit to the person wielding it for it to work properly.If you don`t know how to properly "hang" one of these then you need to find that info.
Depending on the type of work being done these 2 tools(axe and adze) are for roughing and there are many follow on tools that you would want to consider.
BTW-You will want to get some qualified and in depth instruction before you start swinging a razor sharp adze.There`s a reason some of the old timers called them "shin hoes". :o

[pkrankow]

Just remember that the task of squaring logs into beams was largely replaced by sawmill wood about 150 years ago, depending on your geographic location. You may have better performance from good tools from the period of the work you want to do than from more modern versions of those tools.

Modern steel production is from the late 1800's and took over steel and iron production near completely in the early 1900's. A welded steel bit has been done for several hundreds of years.

Phil

[ThomasPowers]

Of course you square logs with a broad axe; adzes are only for dressing the finished product where "purty" was required.

I've used an adz to clean up old barn wood found in a flood pile to build a chest out of for my smithing tools, (mastermyre of course), and I can truthfully say that as a traditional wood worker I'm not a bad blacksmith!


As late as the US civil war; steel could cost up to 5 times the cost of wrought iron and so it was cherished and used sparingly. I have several hammers on my rack that are WI with steeled faces, steeled woodworking chisels, etc and yes they all get used!

We are truly gifted to be working around such a massive mound of good steel scrap that we don't even stop to think most times about the metal we're going to use on a project!

[dpaquin9000]

I think you`ll also find that research will show that there is a very wide variety of seemingly simple tools like an axe or an adze to choose from.
A felling axe is a completely different animal from a hewing axe.Likewise a railroad adze is a far cry from a shipwright`s lipped adze.A good example in hammers would be the difference between a framing hammer(carpenter) and a chasing hammer(silversmith).The handle for an axe or especially an adze must be fit to the person wielding it for it to work properly.If you don`t know how to properly "hang" one of these then you need to find that info.
Depending on the type of work being done these 2 tools(axe and adze) are for roughing and there are many follow on tools that you would want to consider.
BTW-You will want to get some qualified and in depth instruction before you start swinging a razor sharp adze.There`s a reason some of the old timers called them "shin hoes".

Great advice thanks. I don't need to worry about safety as I'm learning techniques of axe/adze hewing directly from youtube videos.
In all seriousness I'm keeping it simple. A cord wall or stack wall small shed. My goal is to rough hew a few beams and see what that gets me. I imagine I'll be reassessing tool needs throughout. I live in western mass and we've got some local artisan toolmakers. I hear for a six of Berkshire Ale they'll answer your questions.
Thanks again,
Dan

[dpaquin9000]

Of course you square logs with a broad axe; adzes are only for dressing the finished product where "purty" was required.

I've used an adz to clean up old barn wood found in a flood pile to build a chest out of for my smithing tools, (mastermyre of course), and I can truthfully say that as a traditional wood worker I'm not a bad blacksmith!


As late as the US civil war; steel could cost up to 5 times the cost of wrought iron and so it was cherished and used sparingly. I have several hammers on my rack that are WI with steeled faces, steeled woodworking chisels, etc and yes they all get used!

We are truly gifted to be working around such a massive mound of good steel scrap that we don't even stop to think most times about the metal we're going to use on a project!

So you use found metal (junkyards etc) as a raw material? You can make a tool from a car transmission part for example?

[ThomasPowers]

Quite a lot of us mine the scrap stream for material; especially those of us who live more than an hour away from a decent steelyard!

I'm more partial to car axles than transmissions for tooling material, also car springs---leaf and coil, swaybars,...

[Mainely,Bob]

What herbalists do in the fields and forests a blacksmith does in the towns(and sometimes outside of town on the farms too).I go to places like the town dump,local boatyards,scrap yards,and any other place where old metal can be found.I come home with wrought iron,steel,stainless steel,bronze,lead,copper and zinc most times it only costs me the gas money to get there and back.
I can`t remember when the last time was that I bought new metal for a personal project or even for a gift for one of my buddies.If I need something I don`t have on hand I usually load something like my bronze,copper,zinc or lead scrap up and bring it to either another metalworker or the scrap yard and trade for what I need.
Just like those folks who pick food from the forest for free,if you know where to look and what to look for you can feed your forge for free and that includes free wood scraps to make the charcoal to fire the forge.
This is one craft where the rural and the urban smith both stand on equal ground when it comes to foraging(not forging) opportunity.
It really is as simple as going out there and picking it up.

[Neaves]

If your willing to pay for the really good tools I would recommend GRANSFORS BRUKS. I was recently looking for a good broad axe and this is the only current manufacturer I could find that really made me drool. True Craftsmanship complete with Sticker Shock. An additional word of warning... There are a lot of different places carrying these axes and prices vary wildly, with one outlet charging $300 dollars and another charging $800 for the same axe, a 266% difference.

They also have some great PDFs on their download page relating to the history and use of axes.