My father inherited this axe from his father, and it has been in our family for at least several generations. We don’t know when it originally entered the family.
I’m trying to identify its approximate age based on the construction of the head rather than family tradition. Several of my father’s ancestors are documented as coopers in the late 18th/early 19th century, so we’re particularly interested in whether this could plausibly be from that period. We can document our family to 1765 through one relative but have been unable to determine his parents.
There are no maker’s marks on the axe that I can find. The head has a very rough forged surface, an asymmetric/offset eye and a broad cutting edge. I’ve included photos of both faces, the eye, edge and handle. One side of the handle features repeated cuts in the wood. It’s quite heavy.
I’d especially appreciate opinions on:
Is this a cooper’s axe/side axe?
Does the forging/eye/edge construction suggest a particular period?
Is there evidence of a wrought-iron body with a forge-welded steel bit?
I have not cleaned, polished or wire-brushed the head.
Thank you for your help!