French Boarding Axe

[Captain Jim]

Just found this on E-Bay. I can't afford this but I'm so going to clip the pictures.

E-Bay page

[Red-Handed Jill]

Ooooh... that is a gorgeous axe.

I may give it a try - wish me luck!

[willie wobble]

WOW!!! very nice, and a belt clip too

[Red-Handed Jill]

I've been following this item and it's passed outside of what I'd pay for an axe - and the reserve hasn't been met. Drat!

Sure is a nice axe, though...

[Captain Jim]

It went at $800. Just a tad more than I want to spend.

[Matusalem]

It went at $800. Just a tad more than I want to spend.

The nerve of those period collectors!

...and I would guess the garden department at Home Depot is out of the question.

[Littleneckhalfshell]

if one were wanting to alter a modern axe or hatchet to a boarding axe like the one pictured in this thread, do you think it could be done with the following Fireman's Hatchet available at Harbor Freight tools? It looks similar, sort of...... maybe remove the paint, and with a little metal removal and addition of some strap steel and a different haft. Do you think it could be done?

Fireman's hatchet

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Little Neck

Yes, I believe it could be done.

I have been debating a similar project myself, albeit using a european fireman's axe. I got as far as buying the axe, and then decided just to commission a reproduction of the Spanish boarding Axe from 1715 ( http://www.imacdigest.com/axe.html )

My original concern was the shape of the entry point for the axe handle. On modern axes, its invariably oval and I think a lot of the original boarding axes were made for more of a round handle.

The problem with the above statement is that there are very few original GAoP era boarding axes. Most extant axes are from the later 18th and 19th century when there were definite patterns to each countries axe (though all are similar)

One of the oldest boarding axes is dated 1675 and in the Tojhusmeseet Collection in Copenhagen. It appears to have an oval entry point, but I am basing this off of a drawing of it that appears in Boarders Away Vol.1. I have to say that it could actually be more of a trapezoid shape, like those found on Swedish axes.

By this point, I am sure a lot of you are saying, what an a$$hole, worrying about such triviality....

But hey, I am not on medication.

Anywhoo

I think you should proceed, with axe in one hand, and grinder in the other and report back to us.

The only caution i would put forth is to not make it like the later British pattern

Good luck

GoF

[Captain Jim]

Actually, the eye (proper term, I think) in the French boarding axes are rectangular in shape. I don't know how early on the French adopted this practice or if the English ever produced a rectangular eye. The image below is the best I can find at this time: note the flat sides and the corners at the back of the eye. At any rate, just passing on the observation.

[Patrick Hand]

By this point, I am sure a lot of you are saying, what an a$$hole, worrying about such triviality....

But hey, I am not on medication.

Anywhoo

Awh... I say just grind down th' sucker.......

it will be close enough......

Well unless you are GoF.... in which case, yer kinda stuck getting it 100% right

But Gof's stuborness is why he has such a pretty grenade launcher......

Sometimes we can get ..... almost right..... or all the way right..... it just depends on how much money you wanna spend....... or time and effort you wanna put into it.....

But there is a blacksmith/bladesmith on board, that may be able to make one.....

Hummmmm.... wonderin' bout how much a rough forged axe would cost.....

an axe that sells fer about $100..... but finished...... so how much would a rough forged axe cost (and would it be worth thier effort?) they do the forgin.... you do the finish work.......

[Gentleman of Fortune]

That reminds me of a quote from the movie Mad Max that has stuck with me to this day.

The line is (When Max takes his family car to get some work done on it, the mechanic says)

"Speed is just a question of money, how fast do you want to go?"

I have bastardized it a little for re-enacting... and while not exactly a truism....

"Authenticity is just a question of money, how authentic do you want to be?"

Also, I have painted myself into a corner with my musings and my web page. Everyone expects my shit to be squared away. Otherwise, I am just a hypocrite with access to a computer.

GoF