Adz, Cooper's

Object Name:

Adz, Cooper's

Object ID:

1953.001.02

Date:

1875-1900

Description:

Cooper's adz. Steel, with wood handle. For hewing barrel staves. Medium-brown, oval, hardwood handle attached to cast steel head. Head has almost square face on front. Triangular rib underneath face, leading back to steel shank, attached to handle. Shank round, portion of it probably hollow. Top surface of back of hammer proceeds backward towards handle, becomes wider, and curves gently gown to 45-degree angle. Bottom surface of blade behind shaft is slightly rounded. Flat surface tapering to blade edge on bottom surface. Hammer face 1.4" high x 1.1" wide. Blade width: 2.5". Cutting surface slightly rounded. In top of adz head is a shallow round-headed bolt, slightly recessed in cast cavity. Bolt extends through shank and handle, ends with washer and hex-head nut. Some brown surface residues on outside of cutting head near blade. Stamped on left side near front: "3". Stamped same side in pointed oval. Lettering across top of stamp, block letters, "L. & I. J. WHITE", curved upward. Below that "1837". Below that "B [U]", the rest ground away.

Material:

Metal
Wood
Steel

Dimensions:

H-8.7 W-2.5 D-7.2 inches

Provenance:

Found by the donor in the attic of the Stratton Company flour mill, Penacook, NH, in 1953, when the mill closed. The mill, eventually owned by the Stratton Company, was built in 1857. They also had a large barrel factory. By 1900, it was the largest flour mill in New England. The donor was vice-president of the company.

Credit Line:

Gift of Donald J. McFarland

Subjects:

Coopers