the green tomahawk of the Rogers Rangers?

JoeCanada42 · 5th August 2022, 08:37 PM

hi thanks everyone for your comments and interest so far.
to clarify it was sold as an antique hatchet, no attribute to rogers rangers, this is only my fantasy,.
I did think this axe could possibly be old enough, I have come across many old old tools locally.
apparently this form of axe was popular circa 1760
how does one tell if it was cast or forged?
the hammer poll on my axe is cylindrical not octagonal like many I see.
is there any difference in the 19c vs 18c ones?

I found this YouTube video very informative

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHyZhRFWsUs

at 10:10 he talks about my form hatchet.

also I think its likely there was a wide variety in the styles of hatchet the rangers carried, and possibly they had carried this form. he had members from all backgrounds,
I thought this hatchet could possibly date to the fur trade and been used by a "coureur de bois".

Hotspur · 6th August 2022, 12:14 AM

Old style roofing/shake hammer/hatchet.

If I may clarify, for trimming and nailing cedar shakes.

CutlassCollector · 6th August 2022, 11:27 AM

Hi,

Prior to the last quarter of the 19th century nails were made by hand using hand tools and were of square cross section. Mass produced nails came along around 1880 with machines designed for that purpose. Nails then became round in cross section.

A 'vee' shaped nail puller is not suitable for square nails.

Up until the 1850/60s axes were made of iron with a small amount of steel to form the hard edge forge welded to the end of the blade. Steel was much more expensive and hard to come by. Unfortunately it is hard to tell the difference between the two without specialist equipment or a grinding wheel (different sparks), so this is not a useful way to confirm a date.

Seam lines are often visible in very old axes not only at the edge but between the two halves where the iron has been folded over to form an eye and then hammer forged into one piece. However the best made axes will not show a seam

I agree with the other comments - your axe is modern and most likely made in a factory in the 20th century.

broadaxe · 7th August 2022, 08:06 PM

This is also known as "half hatchet". Industrially-made. probably early to mid
20th c.

JoeCanada42 · 9th August 2022, 01:32 AM

thanks for some good info,
probably its not as old as I had hoped.
I realize the nail puller wasn't a good sign but I figured that feature could have been drilled in later, I read the possibility of this in a post on this forum..
Maybe I will clean the axe head and get a better look just for fun

5th August 2022, 08:37 PM	#1
JoeCanada42 Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Canada Posts: 259	hi thanks everyone for your comments and interest so far. to clarify it was sold as an antique hatchet, no attribute to rogers rangers, this is only my fantasy,. I did think this axe could possibly be old enough, I have come across many old old tools locally. apparently this form of axe was popular circa 1760 how does one tell if it was cast or forged? the hammer poll on my axe is cylindrical not octagonal like many I see. is there any difference in the 19c vs 18c ones? I found this YouTube video very informative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHyZhRFWsUs at 10:10 he talks about my form hatchet. also I think its likely there was a wide variety in the styles of hatchet the rangers carried, and possibly they had carried this form. he had members from all backgrounds, I thought this hatchet could possibly date to the fur trade and been used by a "coureur de bois".

6th August 2022, 12:14 AM	#2
Hotspur Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Nipmuc USA Posts: 511	Old style roofing/shake hammer/hatchet. If I may clarify, for trimming and nailing cedar shakes.

6th August 2022, 11:27 AM	#3
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 343	Hi, Prior to the last quarter of the 19th century nails were made by hand using hand tools and were of square cross section. Mass produced nails came along around 1880 with machines designed for that purpose. Nails then became round in cross section. A 'vee' shaped nail puller is not suitable for square nails. Up until the 1850/60s axes were made of iron with a small amount of steel to form the hard edge forge welded to the end of the blade. Steel was much more expensive and hard to come by. Unfortunately it is hard to tell the difference between the two without specialist equipment or a grinding wheel (different sparks), so this is not a useful way to confirm a date. Seam lines are often visible in very old axes not only at the edge but between the two halves where the iron has been folded over to form an eye and then hammer forged into one piece. However the best made axes will not show a seam I agree with the other comments - your axe is modern and most likely made in a factory in the 20th century.

7th August 2022, 08:06 PM	#4
broadaxe Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 334	This is also known as "half hatchet". Industrially-made. probably early to mid 20th c.

9th August 2022, 01:32 AM	#5
JoeCanada42 Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Canada Posts: 259	thanks for some good info, probably its not as old as I had hoped. I realize the nail puller wasn't a good sign but I figured that feature could have been drilled in later, I read the possibility of this in a post on this forum.. Maybe I will clean the axe head and get a better look just for fun