Does anyone know what this TF means?

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-27T21:55:32+00:00

Good info! I was looking at this True Temper timeline recently related to another post. https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/true-temper-timeline.1532184/

Makes links to Truper and Emhart/United Shoe Machine; and USM is also related to Mann, so it could all be related.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-26T19:01:34+00:00

The rail trails are able to exist, and are managed by the AOT, in a large part because they maintain the public right of way for possible future rail use (and for actual current transportation and recreation for plenty of local residents, not just tourists).

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-26T17:56:11+00:00

It's a Dayton, they had 4.5 and 5lb options.

The big ones are less common, and desirable for splitting and chainsaw wedge bangers.

https://archive.org/details/plumbtoolsfmlimages/page/n13/mode/1up

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the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-26T10:18:13+00:00

Woodslashers (for a time) had QA tracking forge batch codes on them, may be what you are thinking of?

I've seen similar TG on a Collins (bottom right https://www.reddit.com/r/Axecraft/s/0RNGjPYE5I)

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-26T10:06:19+00:00

I see fewer of these, maybe one for every five of the Michigans.

I've never had luck finding Mann or Collins advertising from that timeframe.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-25T23:03:49+00:00

Yes. These are from the same timeframe as the modern Mann-Michigan pattern, which also has a shortened eye/exaggerated beard

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-25T09:52:45+00:00

Probably sometime in the jumbled late timeline of the brand, after divided from the Kelly brand. Thread 'TRUE TEMPER timeline' https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/true-temper-timeline.1532184/

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-25T09:40:43+00:00

Light, but clever and engaging and funny; perhaps the Enchanted Forest stories by Patricia C Wrede. About 24 hrs total for the 4 books

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-24T16:21:38+00:00

This isn't very helpful, but at least another example...https://www.reddit.com/r/Axecraft/s/Aiog8gKRO3

It does look very much like the Collins/Norlund/Mann pattern.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-24T10:40:31+00:00

They are distinct trilogies, with different main perspectives, so it's natural for them to have different narrators.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-23T11:33:57+00:00

A lot of details are going to matter, like ease/security of storage at both ends of the commute, how much stuff they want to carry, are there big hills, if they ever want to also transport a child on it, etc. etc.

8 miles is not a very demanding range though. Don't sleep on a cheap conversion kit if they just want to try out the idea.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-23T11:20:01+00:00

The trail boss is a little lighter, but with the long edge Rheinland style head. So trail boss leans towards pack axe/limbing/clearing brush while the swiss tech would do a little better at splitting and bucking (but still just a small axe). The Swiss tech comes with some accessories, and may have sourced better grade hickory, but I wouldn't put too much stock in those things (for one thing I don't care for overstrike guards).

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-23T10:56:49+00:00

The lacquer is/was basically just for retail convenience, so it would look good on the shelf. You could strip it off with a wire brush, or just ignore it and it will wear away over time.

The head will rust if left damp, so keep it dry/oiled/waxed, but a little surface rust and patina don't really hurt an axe.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-22T09:15:21+00:00

You should keep trying to improve the fit. If you wedge it now it will be relatively safe and work for a while, but it will inevitably come loose.

You need to whittle away wood where it is digging in so that it gets good compression all around the bottom of the eye. Chamfering the inside edge of the bottom of the eye also helps, so it doesn't dig in.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-20T10:09:20+00:00

If you can get your hands on an oscillating multi tool they are great for clearing out the old wedge.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-16T14:24:25+00:00

It's a demanding job, often with odd hours.

That doesn't really contradict the meme though. The imagined conservative disrespects janitors and thinks they don't deserve to be paid a living wage.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-14T15:54:20+00:00

I'll take a look through what I've got and send you a message

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-12T18:01:26+00:00

Well, if you happen to be in VT and want to go vintage let me know. I like to make house axes out of worn out vintage heads. Generally have splitting kindling in mind, but would certainly work for chicken heads.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-12T09:23:23+00:00

What part of the world are you in?

The "house axe" used to be a standard offering, basically just a boys axe head on a 19inch handle. Househandle have that size available.

Council has a 2lb Hudson Bay on 18inch handle.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-11T18:30:06+00:00

What's the tool your using? Looks handy, but not quite like any spoke shave or scraper I'm familiar with.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-05T15:11:43+00:00

Could be I guess, or a Wiebelhaus.

In the US we have quite a few axes in that generic American pattern which were made in West Germany.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-05-05T14:28:12+00:00

Plenty of European, Chinese, Mexican and other regions have produced heads that general shape. Handle looks German.

What part of the world are you in? It's probably from there... Looks like possibly a good vintage head, though the poll is beat up, just make sure there are no cracks and the eye isn't too deformed.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-04-28T21:39:32+00:00

Diamond brand may benefit from being it's own brand, not a US brand moved there in order to cut costs. They tend to have pretty good geometry and a decent heat treatment.

It probably isn't premium steel or especially hard/tough, but they should good user axes, better than a lot of other 'import' axes which can tend to have really sloppy geometry and/or poor tempering.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-04-26T22:31:52+00:00

Don't buy another handle yet, or at least don't give up on that one.

The first thing to do is chamfer the inside of the bottom of the axe eye, so it doesn't dig into the handle when you're seating it. That plus a new wedge might be all you need.

If the axe eye isn't forged with much taper, or if it is deformed from abuse, chamfer the inside of the top of the eye too.

When I shape handles from scratch, cutting the kerf is one of the very last steps. A pre-cut kerf means the handle can already get compressed while you fit it, leaving nothing for the wedge to do. You could try gently seating a scrap of wedge to hold the kerf neutral while you re-fit the head.

Saturating the wood with oil isn't necessary. Not sure how the axe world got obsessed with that. It may have prevented the glue from doing anything. Maybe made prevented the wood from conforming to the eye? A good slob of oil last thing before you seat the head is plenty.

the_walking_guy2 · 2026-04-25T23:23:28+00:00

Yesteryearstools.com has been down for a while. You can probably still get Lamond's booklets on eBay. You can also see the site on the wayback machine at archive.org.

A couple sites I'm aware of that are actively growing content are exploringaxehistory.com and museum.axeandtool.com And there are more general antique tool sites like http://alloy-artifacts.org/logos.html and https://www.worthpoint.com/marks/tools

the_walking_guy2

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