Boy Scout Hatchet Collection

[BSAGuy]

OK, so I posted back in July that I had restored my grandfather's 1970's Plumb axe and also a Plumb double bit from eBay.

That and my hobby as a Scoutmaster got me looking into BSA hatchets.

Please see the pic below. I have managed to acquire all but 1-2 of the major hatchet models from 1912 through the 1990's
The makers include Plumb, Collins, Vaughan and Bushnell, Bridgeport, and True Temper.

 

[Happy Dad]

Nice collection!

 

[Billski]

I knew , without a good picture, that this would be by BSA Guy.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Let me be the first to ask, "Yes, but can you SHAVE with them?"

 

[matwho]

Very nice, I'll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[eastomjac]

Nice indeed

 

[troy]

Cool collection!

So do these all actually have the Boy Scout symbol on them?

I do see hatchets from time to time while hunting razors, tools, cast iron and whatever else catches my eye. I've been tempted to grab a few, but I already bring home more stuff than I have room for. If I see anything marked with a BSA symbol I'll gab it for you.

I love that True Temper on the end. I just picked up one of their hammers at a garage sale for a buck. Very nice felling hammer, feels better than any under $25 one in the store. At least I assume it's the one on the far right, looks a lot like my hammer.

 

[Cash_Stronomer]

Neat collection! I'll admit their all the same to me, but one thing I've noticed is around here you find a lot of Scouting stuff in the antique shops!

 

[troy]

I knew , without a good picture, that this would be by BSA Guy.

I also assumed, from the title, that I would see a giraffe.

I've noticed around here you find a lot of Scouting stuff in the antique shops!

+1 I see mess kits and canteens all the time.

 

[BSAGuy]

Thanks, Troy. Yes, they all do have a BSA logo on them. The exact type varied over the years, but they are there.

Via Google books, you can look at old editions of many magazines and in my spare time, I have been going through the old Boys' Life magazines to locate the ads for these hatchets.

The BSA called them axes.

Cool collection!

So do these all actually have the Boy Scout symbol on them?

I do see hatchets from time to time while hunting razors, tools, cast iron and whatever else catches my eye. I've been tempted to grab a few, but I already bring home more stuff than I have room for. If I see anything marked with a BSA symbol I'll gab it for you.

I love that True Temper on the end. I just picked up one of their hammers at a garage sale for a buck. Very nice felling hammer, feels better than any under $25 one in the store. At least I assume it's the one on the far right, looks a lot like my hammer.

 

[mgbbrown]

Nice Collection BSA Guy! For me, it has been Boy Scout Handbooks, going back to 1910 or 1913, and Philmont Scout Ranch related items. I was in Scouts starting as a Tenderfoot in 1969, progressing through the ranks to eventually become part of the archaeological staff at Philmont in 1975, a Ranger in 1976, and back to Indian Writings where I was one of three Ranch archaeologists, working there until 1979. I thought our ax was yellow with a rubberized handle, identical to the red one second from the right. I remember it having the BSA emblem cast into the head below the wedge. Bridgeport may have made it. I found the photograph on the web, but that is what I remember ours to be. When I say ours, my twin and I learned to share at an early age... God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[Jim]

Very nice collection- I always thought they were hand axes myself. A hatchet was this>

 

[BSAGuy]

Hello Tony. The yellow Bridgeport hatchets were made in 1968-1969, so your recollection is spot on. I also have almost all the handbooks and 5-6 variations of BSA compasses. The handbooks are fun to read.

Nice Collection BSA Guy! For me, it has been Boy Scout Handbooks, going back to 1910 or 1913, and Philmont Scout Ranch related items. I was in Scouts starting as a Tenderfoot in 1969, progressing through the ranks to eventually become part of the archaeological staff at Philmont in 1975, a Ranger in 1976, and back to Indian Writings where I was one of three Ranch archaeologists, working there until 1979. I thought our ax was yellow with a rubberized handle, identical to the red one second from the right. I remember it having the BSA emblem cast into the head below the wedge. Bridgeport may have made it. I found the photograph on the web, but that is what I remember ours to be. When I say ours, my twin and I learned to share at an early age... God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown View attachment 683902

 

[RealPretendPsychic]

Good stuff, what an awesome collection! I'm an Eagle Scout myself, and had the pleasure of participating in a week-long backpacking excursion in Philmont when I was in high school. This has me itching to find my old box of scouting goodies in the parents' basement

 

[alex2363]

Very interesting thread

 

[Doc4]

I knew , without a good picture, that this would be by BSA Guy.

Up until now, I didn't know what the Guy's "BSA" stood for.

 

[Graybeard57]

Very interesting thread

I agree, fun thread to read.

 

[MacQ]

Hatchets have been banned in scouting for a while now. Apparently there were incidents where proper safety was not used and they got stuck in scouts legs.

Great collection though!

 

[BSAGuy]

We still teach axe skills in our troop as a part of Tenderfoot. Hatchets (hand axes) can be a little dicey in the hands of inexperienced, younger Scouts because you generally have to hold the work object in your off hand while applying the hand axe to it, such as when splitting kindling.

 

[ouch]

What a cool collection.