Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

tom hyle · 16th April 2005, 01:50 PM

For the most part I see your point about these and other tangs in this regard. Some of the tangs themselves are quite sturdy at like 3/8" thick, but still short, no? and I don't know that the thicker ones were ever standard. Not only that, but tha amount of wood that fits inside that long ferule is not that much, and that can seem unsturdy (more at the blade than at the handle end, where the swept swell gives it decent strength). They handle well, and one can use one (in good shape) to cut briars and light vines for practice; if they're a tool I agree it'd be more machete than axe. I wonder about the more tooly back-curved one though; same tang? I know it doesn't seem a strong arrangement (I wouldn't design it and think it sturdy), but also some consideration must be given (as with thin swords, brass blades, thin African axes, etc.) to how flimsy a lot of old stuff seems to us now, and the degree to which traditional people were just much more appreciative of, and loving and careful toward their possessions than modernes seem to be. A nice feature in these axes? Some of them have a "shandigan" type reinforced edge.

16th April 2005, 01:50 PM	#13
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	For the most part I see your point about these and other tangs in this regard. Some of the tangs themselves are quite sturdy at like 3/8" thick, but still short, no? and I don't know that the thicker ones were ever standard. Not only that, but tha amount of wood that fits inside that long ferule is not that much, and that can seem unsturdy (more at the blade than at the handle end, where the swept swell gives it decent strength). They handle well, and one can use one (in good shape) to cut briars and light vines for practice; if they're a tool I agree it'd be more machete than axe. I wonder about the more tooly back-curved one though; same tang? I know it doesn't seem a strong arrangement (I wouldn't design it and think it sturdy), but also some consideration must be given (as with thin swords, brass blades, thin African axes, etc.) to how flimsy a lot of old stuff seems to us now, and the degree to which traditional people were just much more appreciative of, and loving and careful toward their possessions than modernes seem to be. A nice feature in these axes? Some of them have a "shandigan" type reinforced edge.