| Davistown Museum Inventory of Tools - Maritime IV | Axes |
| | Status | Location |
| | 040103T3 | Felling ax | photo | photo | DTM |
| Forged iron and weld steel, 6 7/8" long, 5 1/8" wide cutting blade, unsigned. |
| This felling ax is typical of the American style felling axes produced after 1750 and would characterize the tool kit of a |
| woodworker or shipbuilder anytime during the 19th century. The heavy poll makes this ax much more efficient than earlier |
| English trade axes. The obvious weld steel cutting edge means that this ax predates the ubiquitous all cast steel or drop |
| forged steel axes of the late 19th and 20th centuries. |
| | 914108T15 | Hatchet | DTM |
| Cast steel and wooden handle, 12 3/4" long, 3" long blade, signed "AMOSKEAG AX" "CAST-STEEL" and "REYNOLDS. AG". |
| The Amoskeag Mfg. Co. was located in Manchester, NH, from the 1830s to the 1930s and made textiles and heavy |
| machinery. They are listed as making tools only from 1849 - 56. Henry C. Reynolds of Manchester, NH, worked for |
| Amoskeag from 1855 - 1877. He may have been the inventor of a combination hatchet they sold. |
| | 42604T4 | Hatchet | DTM |
| Forged iron and weld steel, 6 3/8" long, 3 5/8" wide, 1 1/4" diameter poll, unsigned. |
| The lower side of the hatchet has a notch and the poll end is beveled. |
| | 91303T20 | Hewing ax | bio | photo | DTM |
| Cast steel, 11 3/4" long and 7" wide blade, 3" long and 1 3/8" wide rectangular poll, 34" long new handle, signed "THAXTER |
| PORTLAND CAST STEEL WARRENTED". |
| This is a previously seen but unnoted Portland ax-maker, not listed in DATM (Nelson 1999). It has a probable shipyard use as |
| a mast ax. |
| | 42604T5 | Hewing ax | bio | photo | DTM |
| Forged iron and weld steel, wood handle, wood and leather blade cover, 4 1/8" long, 6" wide blade, 2 3/4" pole, signed |
| "JP.BILLINGS" "CLINTON" "MAINE" "556". |
| | 100208T2 | Hewing ax | bio | DTM |
| Steel, 7 5/8" long, 5" blade, unsigned. |
| This hand-forged ax is unique in its distinctive welded steel bit, exactly and uniformly 2 5/8" wide on both sides of the blade. |
| | 040904T4 | Ice ax | photo | DTM |
| Iron and weld steel, 11 1/4" long, 2 3/4" wide blade, signed possibly "DERNELL & Co" "ATHENS NY". |
| This is a generic ice ax. The signature is partly obscured and appears to have the letters above. The Village of Athens, 1896 |
| Greene County Directory lists: "Frederick F. Dernell (H. F. Dernell & Co.)---res. Washington St. near Third St." [on the web |
| at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nygreen2/1896_village_of_athens.htm]. DATM (Nelson 1999, 222) lists H. F. Dernell & Co. in |
| Athens with working dates from 1854-1917. |
| | 41203T8 | Lathing hatchet | photo | photo | DTM |
| Cast steel, 6 7/8" long, 2 1/8" wide cutting blade, 12" long wooden handle, signed "US PAT OFFICE UNDERHILL BOSTON |
| TRADEMARK". |
| A typical cast steel tool from the prolific Underhills, who are recorded making edge tools in Boston as early as 1829. DATM |
| (Nelson 1999) has 18 different Underhill company listings, all in Boston or New Hampshire. At least 8 family members were |
| toolmakers. Some tools marked Boston may have been made elsewhere and marketed in Boston (pg. 803-805). |
| Blacksmith and Farriers' Tools |
| | 102904T17 | Blacksmith punch | photo | DTM |
| Forged iron, 12" long, unsigned. |
| A nicely fashioned smith-made special purpose punch, possibly for sheet metal work. |
| | 42405T3 | Blacksmith's double calipers | DTM |
| Forged steel or iron, 16 1/8" long, 6 5/8" wide when closed, signed with the owner's initials "HJK". |
| A typical smith-made pair of calipers for shop use; probably one of a kind. |
| | 51606T12 | Farriers' slick | DTM |
| Steel, iron, and wood, 11 3/4" long, 5 1/2" wide double-edged blade, unsigned. |
| A transitional tool showing evidence of handwork (hand-filed surfaces, puzzling oak(?) pegs trunneled into one handle for |
| strength) and machined components (factory-made screws and a second machine-made handle.) This is the smallest farriers' |
| slick we have seen. |
| | 102904T8 | Farriers' slick | bio | photo | DTM |
| Forged steel, iron ferrules, wooden handle, 26 1/4" long, 16" long and 1 1/3" wide blade, signed "C J KIMBALL & SON". |
| Caleb Jewett Kimball worked in Milford and Bennington, NH. The Kimballs are famous for their high quality drawknives, which |
| were produced in sufficient quantities to be frequently encountered today. The farriers' slick is less common; it is used for |
| smoothing leather. |
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