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I should have taken more notice while I could
I should have taken more notice of the axes that were being used for serious work around me when I was a kid, but must admit that they didn't get as much attention as the many other things that took my attention. We lived in a sawmill town and I even got to go out sometimes when they were felling. By then (almost 60 years ago) they were just introducing powered saws, but they still used axes for trimming as the powered saws were very large and unsuitable for that task.
I didn't get close enough to the professional axes to get a close look, anyway. They kept them sheathed when not in use and the kids away from them when in use. I saw them being sharpened but didn't ask any questions, as I did with most other things.
Like most kids in the bush, one of my jobs was to split the kindling. As far as I can recall, that axe never got sharpened. But, on the other hand, none of us lost a finger either!
About the time I was born they were still felling with axes. The following photo is of jinker load of Australian red cedar (Toona ciliata var. australis) from our family farm. That is my grandfather and older brother in the photo. My older brother is close to eighty now, so that puts it close to seventy years ago. Wouldn't mind that load of red cedar now. It probably sold for a pittance at the time.
Sorry about the quality of the photo. It was scanned from a very small original print.