The Collins Axe

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Monday, October 16. 2017

A note from a reader:

Dear Bird Dog,

Well, as you know I love Maggie's Farm. I want to give back somehow. Consequently, I bring to your attention Collinsville, Connecticut. Formerly the home of the Collins Company, axe makers non pareil, it is a company town frozen in time right beside the Farmington river. Very picturesque, particularly at this time of year, and full of decent restaurants. And there is a museum there, full of Collins products. Heavenly.

I just bought three very old Collins axes on Ebay (not expensive) and will be restoring them into working instruments, Very satisfying!

For a history of the company, see here:

http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Collins%20Pt.%201.html

http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Collins%20Pt.%202.html

For a rundown on Collinsville itself, see here:

World-renowned Maker of Axes: The Collins Company of Canton | ConnecticutHistory.org

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 17:27 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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Could the Collins Company count Lizzie Borden as a satisfied customer?

MF spamware forced change of name from Gringo.

#1 AnnoyedCommenter on 2017-10-16 20:54 (Reply)

I packed Collins falling axes for years felling timber in North Idaho. 3 pounders for everyday casual work and 4 pounders for wedging over really mean trees.
Terry

#2 Terry1 on 2017-10-16 22:47 (Reply)

I went to a small forestry school in Northern New York in the early sixties. We had to supply our own hard hats and axes. I remember the Kelly and Collins reps came and made presentations. I bought a Collins 3 1/2 pound single bit there and packed it with me through a whole career and several moves as a forester in the West. Re-handled it several times over 39 years.

#3 Dennis on 2017-10-16 23:57 (Reply)

Interesting bit of history for me, because my family was in the business of manufacturing hickory axe handles---among other things---for various tool companies in the US for much more than a century. The business provided hundreds of jobs in our town during its heyday. I loved the smell of hickory, ash and oak being turned on the lathes down in the mills. One of my fondest childhood memories of an era now in the past.

#4 Webutante (Link) on 2017-10-17 08:30 (Reply)

Nice article, interesting and informative.

But what a great bunch of comments. MF readers are so diverse, with such rich experiences and backgrounds

#5 DrTorch on 2017-10-17 09:16 (Reply)

By the way, if you happen to need a proper hickory handle for your old Collins axe, these folks come highly recommended:

https://www.househandle.com/

#6 Chopping Fool on 2017-10-17 17:13 (Reply)

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Monday, October 16. 2017

The Collins Axe