On my way south from the county I stopped in to see my old friend Don Merchant at Pole And Paddle Canoe. He had a sweet Spiller axe for sale for $90. Spiller was an axe making company in Oakland, Maine, back in the day. I’ve been told that Gransfors patterned their American felling axe after either a Spiller or an Emerson & Stevens, another Oakland, Maine company.
If you’re in the market for a 3.25-3.5 pound felling axe, you’d have a hard time finding something better than an old Maine axe made in Oakland.
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Out of curiosity, since you know about the old Oakland axes, I recently found an axe stamped.
Handmade
E&S MFG
Is this a old Emerson and Stevons?
Thanks.
I’ve got an Emerson & Stevens, and that’s the stamp it has. Good find.
Hi Tim,
I also stopped into Don Merchant’s place and saw the beautiful Spiller. As well I have an answer for you regarding the pattern for Gransfor’s American Felling Axe. In about 1968-69, young buck Geoffrey Burke, now of boat building fame in NH, and I were fascinated with the last of the cache of Spiller and Emerson Stevens Axes, and we went up to see what we could find in Oakland. E&S were sold at Paul Smiths College for students to use in the woods when I was there in the early 1960’s, $5-6 bucks a head. We met Harold York, then in his mid-80’s and willing to show us around the old mill and office……unbelieveable…..8000 axe heads, few with handles. I bought a few, Geoff bought some, and Dave Evans who homesteaded on the Nations River near Eagle, Alaska, bought a few. Dave gave me one of those E&S doubles last summer. He had carried it for decades and depended on it daily.
So young buck Geoff grows up and about 20 years ago at his wedding I give Annie and him their wedding present, a beautiful 3# single with a sheith made out of old Limmer boots I snuckered Geoff out of after he trimmed the toes back, and a handle that said “Peavey”. It was shinning like a mirror. That axe was used to build one of my houses….one of the best tools I have known. Geoff got to flirting with Gransfor and requesting that they make some heads for us to use in these woods, a little heavier, and more of an American axe. He made a pattern of that Rixford and sent it to the boys in Sweden…..out comes the American Felling Axe, a bit changed, pardon the pun if you need to do so. The original Rixford from Vermont or a good Maine 3/4 wedge would have been best. Enough of my rattle, ‘love axes, and Kyle Lee, you have a good axe and a good story, what more is there? Tim we crossed paths at Hulbert once, you were spinning goldenrod, and I will never be the same. Thanks, Ross
Thanks for the great comment, Ross. Would you mind if I republished it as a post? With full credit to you, of course?
Help your self to any of it any way, I don’t need any credit. Some of it is even true. Ross