Coureur de Bois Starter Kit
Oct 19, 2023 10:43:13 GMT -7
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brokennock, lenapej, and 2 more like this
Post by paranger on Oct 19, 2023 10:43:13 GMT -7
Coureur de Bois starter kit:
This "casse-tete" (literally "head breaker") and "boucheron de pays" share North American curly maple hardware, so I decided that they would make a nice set.
The casse-tete (it seems the French never adopted the pseudo-Algonquian term "tomahawk" like the English) is forged of a mild steel body with 1084 bit forge-welded as in the better originals. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of these smaller axes were not imported from France, but rather made by local blacksmiths in the St. Lawrence Valley. (see part III of Gladysz and Hamilton's excellent article series "Axes in New France," Journal of the Early Americas vol. II, Issue VI)
This axe is based on originals from that article, and weighs just a hair over one pound.
I took the liberty of pairing it with my interpretation of what a locally made boucheron (boucheron de pays) might have looked like. Though I have yet to come across a documented example, it shares the "type A" blade profile of its St- Etienne made cousins, and features a 3-pin, full tang construction hand forged from 52100 (yes, there were in fact 3-pin full tang boucherons: I own an original Claude Doron in this configuration found at an Ottawa site in the Mackinaw Straits area).
This "casse-tete" (literally "head breaker") and "boucheron de pays" share North American curly maple hardware, so I decided that they would make a nice set.
The casse-tete (it seems the French never adopted the pseudo-Algonquian term "tomahawk" like the English) is forged of a mild steel body with 1084 bit forge-welded as in the better originals. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of these smaller axes were not imported from France, but rather made by local blacksmiths in the St. Lawrence Valley. (see part III of Gladysz and Hamilton's excellent article series "Axes in New France," Journal of the Early Americas vol. II, Issue VI)
This axe is based on originals from that article, and weighs just a hair over one pound.
I took the liberty of pairing it with my interpretation of what a locally made boucheron (boucheron de pays) might have looked like. Though I have yet to come across a documented example, it shares the "type A" blade profile of its St- Etienne made cousins, and features a 3-pin, full tang construction hand forged from 52100 (yes, there were in fact 3-pin full tang boucherons: I own an original Claude Doron in this configuration found at an Ottawa site in the Mackinaw Straits area).
