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Post by paranger on Nov 4, 2023 13:36:37 GMT -7
I was fortunate enough to visit Fort Ligonier a couple of weeks ago, and I saw the original of this axe in the museum, which was found on the Fort site. When I got home, I realized that there was a 1:1 scale sketch of this very axe in Sketchbook '76! Naturally, I had to recreate it. The head measures 5.5" long with a 2.5" bit. It is hafted in hand scraped hickory.   upload pic |
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Post by bushfire on Nov 4, 2023 16:27:26 GMT -7
Another beautiful recreation.
On another note, just how many extant forts are there in PA? I really think I need to make a hunting/history trip in that part of the US. It seems as though it still holds so much history
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Post by paranger on Nov 4, 2023 16:44:22 GMT -7
Another beautiful recreation. On another note, just how many extant forts are there in PA? I really think I need to make a hunting/history trip in that part of the US. It seems as though it still holds so much history C'mon over, Bushfire - I'll show you around! Fort Ligonier and Fort Loudoun are both completely reconstructed F&I forts (or nearly so). Fort Mifflin and Fort Roberdeau are extant and reconstructed AWI forts, respectively. Fort Frederick (F&I) on the Potomac River is just south of the border in Maryland. |
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Post by brokennock on Nov 4, 2023 18:05:08 GMT -7
In my head I feel like there are a couple others in PA but I could be messing up my geography.
One could probably make a pretty solid trip just in visiting forts from PA to the NY/Canada and NH/VT/Canada borders.
Can you really come all the way to the Northeastern US exploring history and not visit Ti'? Or Fort #4 in NH?
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Post by brokennock on Nov 4, 2023 18:08:23 GMT -7
I was fortunate enough to visit Fort Ligonier a couple of weeks ago, and I saw the original of this axe in the museum, which was found on the Fort site. When I got home, I realized that there was a 1:1 scale sketch of this very axe in Sketchbook '76! Naturally, I had to recreate it. The head measures 5.5" long with a 2.5" bit. It is hafted in hand scraped hickory. upload picOnce again you've done fabulous work. How do we define the difference between an axe/hatchet and a tomahawk? Seems to me the big difference is the shape of the hole for the handle, both interior and the exterior metal surrounding it, and how the handle is attached. I would have seen this and thought it an oversize tomahawk. |
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Post by paranger on Nov 4, 2023 18:17:20 GMT -7
I was fortunate enough to visit Fort Ligonier a couple of weeks ago, and I saw the original of this axe in the museum, which was found on the Fort site. When I got home, I realized that there was a 1:1 scale sketch of this very axe in Sketchbook '76! Naturally, I had to recreate it. The head measures 5.5" long with a 2.5" bit. It is hafted in hand scraped hickory. upload picOnce again you've done fabulous work. How do we define the difference between an axe/hatchet and a tomahawk? Seems to me the big difference is the shape of the hole for the handle, both interior and the exterior metal surrounding it, and how the handle is attached. I would have seen this and thought it an oversize tomahawk. It's a good question, Nock - and one much debated. The best explanation I have found to date - and the one I personally adhere to - is the primary intended purpose of the axe. Obviously any axe can be a weapon, but a "tomahawk" is purpose built as a weapon. Spiked axes, halberd axes, and the like generally meet this criteria. Mark Miller's website posits some general traits as well. For example, Tomahawks, according to his definition, tend to be small and light - often under 8 oz., with small, thinly-walled eyes. |
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Post by bushfire on Nov 4, 2023 19:32:04 GMT -7
In my head I feel like there are a couple others in PA but I could be messing up my geography. One could probably make a pretty solid trip just in visiting forts from PA to the NY/Canada and NH/VT/Canada borders. Can you really come all the way to the Northeastern US exploring history and not visit Ti'? Or Fort #4 in NH? Fort Ti? ...oh you mean fort Carillon! 😉 IT's definitely something I want to do in the next few years. I'd like to incorporate a BP hunt into it but I'll have to make the most of the trip and visit as many places as I can. I was fascinated with the civil war and mountain man era from childhood, but as an adult I think I've found my niche in 18th century history of North America. |
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on Nov 30, 2023 11:48:48 GMT -7
Late to the game here… pics don’t do justice to the work.
I agree with JJ… tomahawk is a pure weapon. My research indicates small and light (fast) and would never be thought of as a tool. In native culture, these were warriors’ weapons of war. To the point that a trade ax (tool) has been termed a “squaw ax” in certain circles because they would have been used by the women. Then entomology of the word stems from an Indian word for war club.
In white culture, it seems that any axe pressed into service as a weapon received the moniker of “tomahawk”… whether a light and fast pattern or a small trade ax. As JJ states, Mark Miller’s website has some excellent insights into this.
bushfire - JJ has mentioned the restored or recreated forts in PA and Fort Frederick in Maryland. However… there were dozens of forts important during the F&I and Revolutionary periods throughout Pennsylvania. Dozens. This was the frontier during both conflicts and bled red. These were everything from fortified house or mills to simple stockades to extensive works. Visiting the sites makes for a powerful connection to the history, even if the fort no longer exists. Recently JJ and I were in the territory of Fort Ticonderoga, a marvelous restoration of and vitally important fortification. It’s truly remarkable. But we also traveled north to Crown Point and Fort Frédérique… both ruins, and both sincerely impressive to stand among the works. There’s little substitute for standing on the ground.
Pennsylvania has a dedicated flintlock season that begins after Christmas and extends into January. This season doesn’t require safety orange clothing so you can be as authentic as you want. Also, a valid tag will allow you to take either a buck or a doe (unless that has changed in recent years). It’s a lot of fun if you’re hardy and can experience the frigid temperatures with a cheerful heart.
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