Lumbering & Wood Products

"AMERICAN SAWS. BEST IN THE WORLD. MOVABLE-TOOTHED CIRCULARS. PERFORATED CROSS CUTS. Send for Pamphlet to AMERICAN SAW CO., NEW YORK" [Casket, 6 November 1863]

"The Island Reporter says. The other night some of the devotees of Bacchus in Port Hood attempted, with a broad axe to cut their way into a certain grogshop when they were discovered by the proprietor and cleared in a hurry." [Aurora, 6 August 1884]

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Supporting Evidence [ View object ]

Item: BROAD AXE BLADE, BARREL, DRAWING-KNIFE
Date:19th and 20th centuries
Dimensions: Broad axe - 21.5 cm long and 20.5 cm wide; barrel - 71 cm high and 46 cm in diameter; drawknife - 39 cm long

Comments:Lumbering has long been a vital economic activity in Maritime Canada. As the lumberman toiled in the woods, he relied on a number of tools, including three types of axes: the scoring axe, felling axe and broad axe. The broad axe can be readily identified by its short handle and broad blade. Fitted with an iron blade twelve or fourteen inches long, it was used primarily for trimming and shaping squared logs. The wooden handle which fitted into the eye of the blade usually went in at a slight angle to prevent scraped knuckles. This type of axe is heavy, and it is said that it took a strong man to handle it well. It is an impossible task to date old axes, although there were several prominent American axe manufacturers by the 19th century.

Throughout the 19th century, Maritime Canada had an abundant supply of coopers who specialized in barrel-making. Barrels served many important purposes, most notably to facilitate the transport of such commodities as fish, flour, rum and apples. The barrels with their bulging sides were well suited to travel by boat and could be easily rolled as they were loaded or unloaded. There was no shortage of demand for the cooper's wares. He made casks, kegs, hogsheads and tubs. Every home required washtubs, butter churns, sap buckets, water buckets, firkins and storage tubs for salt meat and salt fish. The barrel was versatile. It could be fashioned to store dry items, or designed as a container for liquids. The cooper used a variety of woods such as oak, spruce, pine, ash, birch and maple. Some woods were reserved for barrel staves, while others were more suited to the hoops. Coopering or barrel- making was a highly specialized craft. Barrels were usually made during the summer months after the wood had seasoned. No nails or glue were used in the process. The strips for the hoops, usually made from young saplings, were kept damp until applied to the barrels. In this way, they pinched the staves closed in a tight grip as they dried.

In the 19th century, the drawing-knife (sometimes called a draw shave) was an essential tool for any woodworker. The design was fairly basic and sturdy, with its wooden handle grips and slightly curved blade. The drawing-knife was used to shave the rough-hewn surface of the wood, enabling the carpenter to give finer definition to its shape and size. The cooper, for example, relied on the drawing-knife to shave staves, while the wheelwright used the same tool to carve cart axles.

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