Cooper's Side Axe
notes: label: Description
content: This cooper’s side axe has a roughly forged blade and a whittled handle. The axe has been worn in by pointing with a poll and pounding on the back edge with a hammer. Coopers are skilled craftsmen who specialize in the making and maintaining of wooden vessels such as casks, barrels, or tubs out of pieces of wood made pliable by heat or steam. A side axe is used for quickly and efficiently chopping, or “listing,” barrel staves to a certain shape. The handle is offset from the blade to prevent abrasion against the user’s hand.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Hand Tools
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Leonard J. P. Lentz
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MC.219676.46
label: catalog number
content: 219676.46
label: accession number
content: 219676
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Axe
label: Other Terms
content: Axe; Cooper; Woodworking; Striking & Prizing Tools; Hand Tools
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal, iron (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 21.1 cm; 8 5/16 in
label: Measurements
content: blade face: 10 7/8 in; 27.6225 cm
label: Measurements
content: original handle: 12 in; 30.48 cm