Elwell Hatchets/Axes

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Shingsowa

Forager
Sep 27, 2007
123
0
40
Ruthin, North Wales
I picked up a pair of well-used Elwell hatchets today from the local second-hand shop today. They seem nicely balanced, show good early signs of taking an edge and have a nice patina to them. Best of all they were a tenner for the pair!

Anybody else have something similar, also does anybody have any info on the company/brand? I'm wondering how old they are...
 

Jared

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2005
3,389
640
50
Wales
Edward Elwell started at Wednesbury Forge in Staffordshire in 1817, and stopped around 1930 I think, when it merged with Chillington Tool company. Eventually taken over by Spear and Jackson :eek: They don't make them as good as they used to.

So getting on to be atleast 80 years old I reckon.
 

Shingsowa

Forager
Sep 27, 2007
123
0
40
Ruthin, North Wales
Thanks for the replies guys. Glad to hear that i ve picked up a bargain. They are in very useable condition, i expect that they have been re-handled.

Off for a night in the woods on Friday so i'll see how they fare in the great outdoors!
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I've got an Elwell billhook that has just been restored by warthog1981 :)
"Good honest tool" sums it up nicely :D Sound, reliable, intended to be well used.

cheers,
Toddy
 

MartiniDave

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 29, 2003
2,355
130
62
Cambridgeshire
I've just rehandled and properly sharpened an Elwell Kent pattern axe that belonged to my Dad. It seems perfectly useable for most jobs.

Dave
 

Dave Budd

Gold Trader
Staff member
Jan 8, 2006
2,894
321
44
Dartmoor (Devon)
www.davebudd.com
Not sure when they stopped marking axes with the Elwell logo but I bough a new felling axe in the early 90's it had been in store a while though. Good honest tools.

likewise, I've a slasher that was bough new in a hardware store in the mid 90's. Dunno how long it had been sitting around though.

I thought it was in the late 60's? Good tools though goodjob
 

mr dazzler

Native
Aug 28, 2004
1,722
83
uk
LOL elwell and brades and all those top makes were from an era when we were rightly proud of our superior world beating manufacturing tradition, proud and not ashamed as we are supposed to be nowadays. Men in the industry worked with pride and purpose to produce the best tools they could, part of the (now unfashionable) work ethic.....Those tools survived all these years because they were made to last, unlike the rubbish from china which falls apart almost immediiately you paid for it.....LOL only this morning I scored a harrison billhook at the local tip. Grimy rusty etc but will become a great user when it is refurbed....
 
I have an Elwell 6lb felling axe that I picked up at an abandoned farm near where I used to live - the bulldozers were due in on the Monday, to turn it into a housing estate, so a friend and I had a quick scout through before the buildings were knocked down. This revealed an old leg vice still bolted to half a work bench in a burnt-out workshop, and a large axe head mostly buried in a pile of dirt and rubbish, with the helve broken off just under the eye.
It's the exact same pattern as the one shown in Le Loup's blog.
That was 36 years ago - I still have the axe, just about to have it's second new helve fitted. It has been my main working axe for that time, and is soon to be retired due to my flaky shoulder needing something a bit lighter these days. Still in use for splitting, but for general use I'm buying something a little lighter.

Oh, and my friend still uses the vice.

They don't make 'em like they used to...
 
Last edited:

spader

Native
Dec 19, 2009
1,190
52
Scotland
has 'ELWELL 1943' engraved on the blade with nato arrow mark. What does this mean?


Edward Elwell started at Wednesbury Forge in Staffordshire in 1817, and stopped around 1930 I think, when it merged with Chillington Tool company. Eventually taken over by Spear and Jackson :eek: They don't make them as good as they used to.

So getting on to be atleast 80 years old I reckon.
 

mr dazzler

Native
Aug 28, 2004
1,722
83
uk
Made for the MOD. I used to use an elwell kent pattern to dismantle beer pallets when I was employed to refurb them. That was the same, 1942 or some other war year with the arrow symbol.
 
LOL elwell and brades and all those top makes were from an era when we were rightly proud of our superior world beating manufacturing tradition, proud and not ashamed as we are supposed to be nowadays. Men in the industry worked with pride and purpose to produce the best tools they could, part of the (now unfashionable) work ethic.....Those tools survived all these years because they were made to last, unlike the rubbish from china which falls apart almost immediiately you paid for it.....LOL only this morning I scored a harrison billhook at the local tip. Grimy rusty etc but will become a great user when it is refurbed....

Yes I suppose there was a certain amount of pride, but believe me it was difficult for me to stay proud on only four British pounds per week!
Regards, Le Loup (ex West Sussex lad).
 

mickybluechip

New Member
Aug 9, 2012
1
0
United Kingdom
can anyone tell me what i have found? up to now i have been told its a staffhook but i can not find anything else about it. on it says the name ELWELL 3765-2 the blade is 16" and about 4ft tall. i will try and get some pics on
 

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