As far as I know my Grandfather Michael who worked in the off seasons in the logging camps, used this hewing axe to put together some of the log frame structures that housed the men who boarded there for the winter season.

He also was a timberframer locally and hewed out and put up many of the 3 bay barns located in this area in the late 1800's. He also built one of the earliest one room log first generation school houses which has long since disappeared.

The amazing thing was that he could not read or write, but was evidently an excellent hewer, timberframer, he farmed, he also excelled at matches where the local men tested their strength against one another, walking away unmatched by any of the contenders, it was noted that he could lift and turn around a full length railway rail and sit it down singlehanded, these rails weighed in excess of 2000 lbs!!.

It appears that he took good care of his axes, and for the books he could chop either right or left handed, and always used a double bitted chopping axe for felling and butting logs.

NH