3lbs English "Coach Makers" side axe, with hand carved ash haft

A traditional form of large carpenter's axe, used across many traditional trades from ship building to chair making and everything in between.

For over a century this quintessentially English form of side axe would be found in almost any discerning carpenters toolkit, virtually all of the "great" british tool making companies offered a variant of pattern. Primarily used in traditional carpentry where timber is often split, rather than sawn, this side axe offers a decent weight to quickly prepare the work for the hand plane by hewing the surface into a smoother condition (many surfaces were often left "hewn" as a finish by itself). Whilst this example may fairly be considered "large" by many modern users at 3lbs, this pattern could often be found in daily use weighing anything from 3lbs to 5lbs, the largest I have seen was 6 1/2lbs.

This axe is forged from mild steel with a carbon steel edge forge welded to the "back" of the axe. The back is subtly curved, to allow the axe to make a scalloping cut that naturally enters and exits the timber each cut- this feature is often overlooked, but is essential to the proper efficacy of side axes.

The head has a deliberately twisted (canted) eye, relative to the handle, this is to allow the user clearance from the work to save hurting the fingers. This axe is right handed.

The haft is around 14" long, hand carved and smooth to touch, finished with boiled linseed oil giving a satin like texture.

This tools is for the serious workshop carpenter, traditional furniture maker, Wheel Wright, Cooper or sculptor, collector or enthusiast.

You must be over 18 years old to buy this product, please be prepared to provide proof of age at point of purchase.