An Ax to Grind: A Practical Ax Manual
Brief History of the Ax, continued
Around the turn of the 19th century, more than 300 different ax-head patterns were being manufactured in the United States. Many were nearly identical. To simplify identification and eliminate unnecessary or duplicate patterns, the Ax Manufacturers' Association agreed to set a standard, which resulted in a standard chart of ax patterns (Figure 9).
Figure 9--Some standard patterns manufactured
by True Temper Kelly in 1925.
Certain ax patterns become popular within a given geographic area, such as the Jersey (my particular favorite), the Michigan, the Dayton, and the Kentucky (Figure 10). At times, ax head patterns included a name that related to their use. For example, the rafting ax pattern originated in the day when logs were rafted down rivers.
Figure 10--Some Collins Company "American axes"
from the company's 1921 catalog.
Ax-head patterns were also adapted to the timber that was available in the local area. The double-bit ax was originally developed in Pennsylvania (Figure 11). But the double-bit axes with a long, narrow, heavy ax head and a long handle, were developed for cutting large trees in the Pacific Northwest. Some of the patterns from this area were the Puget Sound, the Young's felling pattern, the Redwood pattern, and the Humboldt pattern.
Figure 11--A 19th-century "Hand Made"
double-bit ax.
