Tools of the Trade.

My tools of the trade.

Axes in New France: Part 111 Casse-têtes (French Tomahawks)

https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.109/tnx.0f5.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Axes-in-New-France-Part-3-Casse-t%C3%AAtes-French-Tomahawks.pdf

Axes in New France: Part 11 French Colonial-made Axes

https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.109/tnx.0f5.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Axes-in-New-France-Part-2-French-Colonial-made-Axes.pdf

More Information On The Half Axe.

Half-Axe Information.

Basically the half axe was larger than a tomahawk but smaller than a felling axe.
https://www.furtradetomahawks.com/half-axes---21.html

camp axe: an axe with a lighter head (2 1/4 lb.) than a regular axe and a handle that measures around 19”. (also: half axe)
http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Glossary%3A%20Axes,%20Edge%20Tools,%20etc..html

Then sometime around 1750 a new pattern began to
evolve from the boarding axes of the time that were heavier and
much more compact with a straighter, shorter, thicker spike and
a "half axe" style blade.
http://tatcalite.tripod.com/id10.htm

http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2010/08/axe-and-tomahawk.html

https://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2011/03/tomahawks-hatchets-which-is-best.html

Names can confuse as well as clarify, and this is especially true

of the tomahawk. For years students and writers, archeolo-

gists and collectors have been accustomed to using names for

specific forms or general categories of hatchet or tomahawk. They

refer to squaw axes, half axes, or to French, Spanish, Minne-

wauken, Woodlands, or English types with the calm assumption

that these are accepted terms and will be understood.

A final general term occasionally encountered is the half axe or

half hatchet. This derived from the era when axe blades frequently

flared out symmetrically. In the half axe only the side toward the

hand flared out. The other side was straight or curved slightly in

the same direction. In the era considered here, the half axe was

the normal form for hatchets and felling axes, and the term itself

was becoming obsolete. 6

In early examples, spiked tomahawks were sometimes made with shanks for insertion into a wooden shaft in much the same manner as the usual halberd type. In such instances they were normally forged from one piece of iron or steel. One specimen found near Rome, New York, seems to have

been made by applying a small conical spike to a standard half axe.

Johnson, Reynaldo Address unknown. In 1808 he delivered 178 half axes at 500 each and 22 tomahawks at 400 each to the Office of IndianTrade. https://archive.org/stream/americanindianto01pete/americanindianto01pete_djvu.txt

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=4P5eAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=what+is+a+19th+century+%22half-axe%22&source=bl&ots=cn7_1rD2Fq&sig=ACfU3U0CY31ZqKuLvM0l5LhpFWkg8-u8wg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi8kKap4pjmAhWVeisKHXFOCrY4ChDoATAGegQIBxAB#v=onepage&q=%20%22half-axe%22&f=false

Tools Made from Rasps or Files

Tools Historic Maritime I (1607-1676): The First Colonial Dominion The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 Blacksmiths re-use worn or damaged files and rasps by making them into something else. All the tools listed here are also listed in the sections and categories given. Historic Maritime I (1607-1676): The First Colonial Dominion Sub Category Woodworking: Axes and Hatchets 102409T1 Hatchet 13 1/2" long, 3 1/8" cutting edge It has a forge-welded edge. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T1web1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T1web2.jpg SubCategory Woodworking: Boring Tools TAB1010 Stone drill 8 1/2" long This stone drill has clearly been re-fashioned from a used blacksmith rasp. It was made in the 17th or 18th century. It is typical of the type of tool early settlers would have used to drill a mooring hole. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/tab1007.jpg SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 42602T4 Drawknife 10" wide, 4 1/2" wide blade This hand-forged tool has been carefully refashioned from file steel. The short chubby handles are in the English style and are made of carefully cut and glued leather. This nifty tool is difficult to date; it is probably made in the 18th century. It is displayed in the Maritime I case because it is so typical of the homemade tools of the early colonial period. This tool is, in fact, exactly what a small drawshave in the tool kits of the first New England settlers could have looked like. BDTM Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic SubCategory Agricultural Implements 102409T2 Grafting froe 13" long, 4" wide, 2 3/4" cutting edge DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T2web1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T2web2.jpg 913108T47A Grafting iron 9 1/2" long, 2 3/4" long blade DTM Blacksmith, Farrier, and Metalworking Tools SubCategory TBF3501 Bench vise 7" high, 2 1/2" wide The hold down is made from a recycled farriers' rasp. DTM 3114T3 Hoof knife 6" long, 1 1/4" wide, 2" edge DTM 61601T5 Tin snips 12 3/4" long These are clearly reforged from a file. The first rolled tin dates to the early 18th century. This reforged smith-made tool is at least 200 years old. DTM SubCategory Cobbler and Saddler Tools 1 Tools Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 62406T3 Curriers' slick fleshing knife 6" long, 2" blade It is forge-welded from a recycled rasp. DTM SubCategory Domestic Utensils 11301T1 Block knife 20 5/7" long with 15 3/4" chopping arm and 5" wide iron blade The iron component of this food and/or tobacco chopper is made of a recycled farriers' file. DTM TBF3000 Cleaver 8 3/8" long with a 2 1/2" blade It was forged out of an old rasp. DTM SubCategory Knives 81101T14 Crooked knife 8 1/2" long, 3" blade Crooked knives are especially common in northern New England where they were used by Native Americans and European settlers for many purposes including basket-making and working birch bark. This knife has been reforged from an old file or rasp, one of early American artisans' most important sources of recycled forged steel. The crosshatched carving on the nicely fashioned applewood (?) handle suggests a Native American user. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/81101t14.jpg SubCategory Logging Tools 913108T49 Spud 8 1/2" long, 2" wide DTM SubCategory Miscellaneous Tools 40501T4 Pry bar 21 3/4" long Refashioned from an old rasp, this rip is a classic example of recycling a dull rasp. With a nicely forged rattail hanger, this tool is probably late 18th century. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Boring Tools 31602T2 Turn screw 19 1/2" long with 15" long and 5/8" wide blade It has a nicely turned handle with a recycled iron ferrule. A recycled file has been used as the turn screw. An unusual hole has been wrought and drilled in the turn screw center. DTM TJR1301 Turn screw 12 1/2" long, 3 1/2" handle This shows the typical recycling of used rasps. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 81801T11 Drawknife 6" long, 3 1/4" blade This carefully wrought shave is made from the recycled steel of a rasp or file and predates the patternmakers' drawknives that it resembles. Its use is unknown. DTM 2 Tools Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 31702T2 Drawknife 10 1/2" wide, 5 5/8" blade This is an excellent example of an edge tool made out of recycled file steel with English style handles. DTM 32412T2 Drawknife 14" long, 8 1/2" long blade This drawknife is crudely welded together from a file and two separate pieces of steel. Courtesy of Liberty Tool Co. DTM 913108T39 Drawshave 20 3/4" long, 7 3/4" blade This shave is made from a recycled rasp or file. DTM 111001T21 Toothed chisel 3 7/16" long, 2" cutting head with 17 teeth This is an excellent example of recycling file steel. Its use is unknown; it is too delicate for stone facing. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Planes 81101T12 Coachmakers' router 13 3/8" wide, 7/16" wide cutter This once common 18th century tool shows indications of being refashioned from an old file or rasp. DTM SubCategory Wrenches 43006T4 Wagon wrench 3/4" and 13/16" wide wrench openings It is a curved wrench, forge-welded and hand-filed from a handmade rasp. It is a nice example of an 18th century wagon wrench. DTM Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution SubCategory Agricultural Implements TCR1001A Grafting froe 8 5/8" long with a 3 1/4" blade This tool is refashioned from an old file or rasp. It was a basic necessity for Davistown residents maintaining orchards in the 19th century. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/tcz1006.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/tcr1001a.jpg Blacksmith, Farrier, and Metalworking Tools SubCategory 913108T7 Blacksmiths' tongs 13" long DTM 913108T37 Blacksmiths' tools (5) A) 2 1/2"; B) 9 1/4"; C) 6 1/2"; D) 1 3/4"; E) 7 3/4" This is a set of tools a blacksmith may have made for his own use. They consist of: B) grafting tool, C) spud, D) wedge, and two farriers' hoof cutters A) and E). DTM 021812T4 Clinch cutter This is a farriers' tool rendered out of a recycled rasp or file. DTM 3 Tools Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 032103T3 Farriers' chisel 7 3/8" long, 2" long cutter This is an excellent example of recycled steel. Originally a steel rasp, worn out rasps were saved and reworked into other useful edge tools. The peened top cutting edge reflects the transition from forged iron to a hammered steel cutting edge. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032103t3_p1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032103t3_p2.jpg TG1010 Punch 5 1/4" long DTM 021812T6 Wedge 3" long, 1 1/4" wide This is possibly a farriers' or blacksmiths' tool made from a recycled rasp or file. It has a hand-drilled hole of 1/4" diameter that might be used for a handle. DTM SubCategory Cobbler and Saddler Tools TG1007 Tack pry 11 3/8" long It is made from a file. DTM SubCategory Coopers' Tools 81801T13A Coopers' _____? 6" long, 4" angle extension This tool is characterized by the same grooved crease found in all coopers' hammers, though slightly narrower (1/8") than the crease in 81801T13 (1/4"). It is clearly refashioned from recycled file steel and is very unusual. A specific identification is welcomed. DTM 092409T3 Coopers' adz 9 1/3" long, 1" wide with a 12" long handle DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/092409T3web2.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/092409T3web4.jpg SubCategory Domestic Utensils 913108T37A Food chopper 6 1/2" long, 7 3/8" wide blade DTM SubCategory Hammers 032203T3 Snowball hammer 8 3/4" long, 2 3/16" cutter at one end This is a typical example of a late 18th century or early 19th century recycling of a precious forged steel rasp. After becoming dull, this rasp was reshaped into a tool for knocking the snow and ice from a shoed horse. What was the cutting edge used for? Notice that the malleable wrought iron top edge of the tool has been bent over from use, whereas the steel cutting edge shows no evidence of wear. This illustrates the varying amount of carbon in different sections of this tool. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032203t3_p1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032203t3_p2.jpg SubCategory Knives 913108T15 Crooked knife 8 1/2" long, 3/4" long blade This is typical of the forge-welded crooked knife used by the settlers of North America for basketmaking and other uses. DTM 4 Tools Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 TG1009 Knife 9 1/2" long, 3 3/8" handle DTM SubCategory Miscellaneous Tools TG1006 Brick chisel 5 3/4" long, 1 1/2" wide It does not have a handle. DTM TG1008 Unidentified tool 16" long, 14" wood handle DTM Watchmakers, Jewelers, and Silversmiths' Tools SubCategory 041505T28 Spinning tool 15" long including a 14" wood handle, 2 1/2" long pewter ferrule The wood handle holds the tanged steel chisel. This cutting tool is clearly made of recycled file steel. It is an uncommon tool from a long lost trade. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Boring Tools TCC3011 Burin 4" long This commonplace tool is refashioned out of an old file and has a beautifully turned handle. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 22411T3 Drawknife 15 1/2" long, 6 1/2" wide, 10" long blade This drawknife is handmade from a file. DTM 913108T23 Drawknife 12" long, 7 3/4" long blade DTM TG1004 Drawshave 13 5/8" long, 9 1/2" blades It has no handles. DTM 10407T4 Drawshave 10 1/2" wide with a 7" cutting edge The handles are handmade and it is obviously forged from an old file. It is a typical edge tool utilizing the strategy of recycling a high quality (probably English or German) steel file. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/10407t4.jpg Woodworking: Edge Tools - Imported Cast Steel SubCategory Peter Stubs Tools TCC1008 Chisel 4 1/8" long, 3/4" wide "Stubs" It is made from one of Stub's recycled files. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioStubs.htm Woodworking: Edge Tools Made in Maine SubCategory 3114T4 Crook knife 9" long, 4" blade LPC 5 Tools Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 SubCategory Woodworking: Other Tools TG1003 Center punch 3 1/2" wide DTM TCR1009 Turnscrew 12 1/2" long, 8 3/8" long blade This tool has been refashioned out of an old file. DTM TG1005 Wedge 1 3/4" wide DTM TG1011 Wedge 4 5/8" long, 2 5/16" wide DTM TG1015 Wedge 2 3/8" wide DTM SubCategory Wrenches TG1001 Wrench 13 1/2" long, 9/16" and 1 3/14" open ends DTM TG1002 Wrench 8" long, 3/4" and 5/8" wide open ends DTM Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution Blacksmith, Farrier, and Metalworking Tools SubCategory 32912T7 Ox shoe 4 1/2" long "L" Courtesy of Liberty Tool Co. DTM SubCategory Coopers' Tools 913108T45 Coopers' bung 7 3/4" long, 3 3/4" long blade It is unusual to see a coopers' bung used for a handle attached to a curved blade. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 22411T16 Drawknife 8" long, 4" wide, 5" blade It is hand-forged from an old file. DTM The Industrial Revolution (1865f.): Other Factory Made Tools SubCategory Miscellaneous Tools 30311T7 Screwdriver 12" long, 1 1/2" wide It is handmade from a file. DTM 6 Tools The Industrial Revolution (1865f.): Other Factory Made Tools The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 30911T6 Tapered reamer 15" long, 8" blade This convex-shaped reamer is handmade from a file. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 72714T1 Drawknife blade 11" long, 5 3/8" cutting edge, 4 1/4" handle tangs This drawknife is fashioned from a reforged file. LPC 31311T12 Gouge 17 " long, 11" long and 1" wide blade, 6" long handle DTM Woodworking: Edge Tools Made in Maine SubCategory 41212T6 Drawknife 16 1/2" long, 9 1/2" long cutting edge "T.C. JACKSON" "STINSON" This tool was made in Bath, Maine circa 1869 or earlier from a recycled steel file or rasp. Courtesy of Liberty Tool Co. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/publications/volume10.html 22411T6 Drawknife 13 1/2" long, 5" long handles, 7 1/2" long blade "J. T. BUDGE" This drawknife is handmade from an old file. Possibly Budge was the maker/owner. The Penobscot County ME Archives History - Businesses listings for Lee in 1883 has J. T. Budge as a blacksmith. The Maine Register of 1889 lists J. T. Budge & Son as blacksmiths in Lee, Maine. DTM 7

http://www.davistownmuseum.org/PDFsforInventory/WebToolsFromRaspsOrFiles_PDF.pdf

Blades in VA and NC – From Stones to Steel

http://ehcnc.org/decorative-arts/historic-trades/blades-in-va-and-nc/

The Whetting Stone.

18th century whetstones Nottingham University Museum Photo Robin Aldworth.

The Whetting Stone.

Whet means sharp, so by definition if a blade has been sharpened, it has been whetted. If you are sharpening a blade, then you are whetting that blade.

Keith.

“The language surrounding so called oilstones is very misleading. First off, there’s no such thing as an “oilstone.” Long ago, these abrasive stones were simply called whetstones. “Whetting” was the period word for “sharpening” and it had nothing to do with applying liquid to a rock”. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/what-is-an-oilstone-2

https://finds.org.uk/database/search/results/material/2/objectType/WHETSTONE

whet

 (redirected from whetting)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

whet

  (wĕt, hwĕt)

tr.v. whet·ted, whet·ting, whets

1. To sharpen (a knife, for example); hone.

2. To make more keen; stimulate: The frying bacon whetted my appetite.

n.

Something that whets the appetite or desire.

---

[Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan.]

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/whetting

18th century whetting and polishing machine.

http://www.chirurgiemechanik.de/En/History/18th_Century_Beginnings_of_Surgical_Mechanics.asp;

Jean-Jacques Perret, sharpening,honing methods 1771.

This is how I sharpen my blades.

Keith.

Tomahawks PDF for Download.

https://ia700600.us.archive.org/17/items/americanindianto00pete/americanindianto00pete_bw.pdf

Fur Trade Axes & Tomahawks. A Link.

http://furtradetomahawks.tripod.com/index.html

Axes.

http://www.davistownmuseum.org/toolAxes.html

Artifacts Link.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/CRL/Report10/update1.html

Settlers. Tools, weapons, and carrying.

Settlers. Tools, weapons, and carrying.

Some people I know choose the actual settlement scenario for historical trekking events. But I wonder just how much thought goes into such an event beforehand. Settlers traveled by various means, by foot, by horse, and by water. If you are going by water, then carrying all your belongings is relatively easy. If by horse, or if you have stock, then these animals will probably be carrying belongings and possibly young children. But if by foot, then you have to think about who carries what among your group of travelers.

Think about your purpose. This is in the 18^th century, you are not trekking for fun, you are trekking to a place to settle. This involves building some form of shelter, possibly some form of defences, toilet, and gardens. Gardens are extremely important. You can survive on just wild game, but sooner or later you are going to need some form of crops. In order to cultivate this garden you are going to need tools. Some tools can be made out of timber, but they are not nearly as efficient as metal tools. So let us look at some of these necessary tools and think about how we can carry them.

Tomahawks are a given, along with the knife and the gun, but what about felling axes and half-axes. Tools such as rakes can be made on site, but you will need at least two sizes of augers to make one, and these augers will be needed for constructing a more permanent shelter in time. Hoes will come in handy, as will a mattock and possibly a pick axe. You may also need some form of saw, either the larger cross-cut saw, or a blade for a buck-saw.

Handles or stails can be made for hoes on site, as can handles for mattocks and pick-axes, as they are similar in construction to the tomahawk helve. Axes though you may wish to use early on and not wish to have to wait until you can make a helve. Then there is the consideration of whether or not some of these lighter tools may not be of some use as weapons along the trail? A hoe for instance is not a heavy item, and a woman may be able to carry this tool over her shoulder as well as carrying a pack.

"I noticed particularly, one family of about 12 in number. The man
carried an axe and a gun on his shoulders. The Wife, the rim of a spinning wheel in one hand, and a loaf of bread in the other. Several little boys and girls, each with a bundle, according to their size Two poor horses, each heavily loaded with some poor necessities. On the top of the baggage of one, was an infant rocked to sleep in a kind of wicker cage, lashed securely to the horse. A cow formed one of the company ,and she was destined to bear her proportion of service - a bed cord was wound around her horns and a bag of meal on her back. They were not only patient, but cheerful and pleased with themselves with the expectation of seeing happy days beyond the mountains"
Diary of Presbyterian Rev. David McClure.
18th century.

We know that ordinary tools such as felling axes and hoes were also considered as weapons. There must have been many people using these tools for self-defence in situations where they are caught off guard in the barn or whilst working in the fields, but this following quote also shows that these tools were also considered for offence should the need arise:

“I gave orders to them to go home and fetch their arms whether guns, swords, pitchforks, axes or whatsoever might be of use against the enemy and for three days provision in their knapsacks”

Letter to Gov. Morris, from Conrad Weiser, Esq. 10/27/1755

Don’t forget the seeds. Even if you do not wish to carry the necessary tools for cultivation or the important supply of crop seed you can at least count them into your calculations when packing for the trail. Your packs may well seem too heavy, but maybe that was just the way it was. Certainly it was not just a walk in the park; everyone including the children had a duty to perform and a load to carry.

The Project Gutenberg EBook of New Discoveries at Jamestown

The Project Gutenberg EBook of New Discoveries at Jamestown

The Project Gutenberg EBook of New Discoveries at Jamestown

Diderot.

Diderot.

Diderot.

Sharpening Blades In The Field. Stones and Files.

Someone just recently asked me: "How did the longhunter sharpen his knife in the field".
Well although some people in the 18th century did not look after their tools, I think there were a lot more that did. The passage regarding Gist and Washington comes to mind. These two set off alone in the wilderness with only one blunt hatchet and no means of sharpening said hatchet. How dumb can you get! It always amazes me that seemingly educated people make so many bad mistakes, especially when their lives may be at stake.
There were whetstones and metal files commonly available during all periods of the 18th century and earlier. A smart person would carry one or both of these items to keep their knife and belt axe/tomahawk sharp and in good working order. Here are some examples below.

Perret-plate Xlfigs38-39-01

 An early Barlow clasp knife, probably 17thc.-18th century, with a whetstone.

The above images are from: finds.org.uk.

Honing and whetstones. Notingham University Museum. Photo By Robin Aldworth

Basing axe and whetstones. A basing axe is used to roughly shape the whetstone at the quarry.

http://www.rammuseum.org.uk/collections/geology/beneath-your-feet/green-and-grainy

A whetstone from my collection. This one came from a creek bed.

An 18th century whetstone in a wooden holder.

Cries Of London. A street vendor selling honing and whetstones.

 

Found In Australia. Part Six.

"Steel" refers to the introduction of steel tools by the Macassans. These were highly prized, and traded locally along with tobacco down through the ancient trading routes along songlines which interconnected all the peoples of Australia (at least 500 language groups). This included the famous Pituri Trail (pituri being a native drug plant farmed in Central Australia from time out of memory). These trade routes would have even interlaced with those established by eel farmers in the south of Australia, who built canal systems in towns constructed from stone masonry.

Aboriginal And Macassan Traders: Australian Aboriginal InternationalTrade With Asia Already Strong During Europe's Dark Ages http://aboriginalrights.suite101.com/article.cfm/macassancrew#ixzz0oKniQ4sy

 I found an axe in the Guyra museum not far from where I live. This axe was identical to one shown in "Firearms Traps & Tools of the Mountain Men" by Carl P. Russell.

 

This adze I found not far from where I live.

 

 This axe head I found buried in the forest where I live.

 

This axe head shape dates from the Medieval period through to the 19th century. I found this one buried not far from where I live.

 

A boarding axe like this one was recently found in Australia.

 

This auger I found in a second hand shop in Armidale NSW.