Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hatchet

I have picked up and old hatchet that says Vaughn on it. I believe it has the original handle in it. I would call it a carpenters type of hatchet since it has a head to drive nails and notch for pulling nails. What's the opinions of Vaughn tools. I have never had one.

Vaughn hammers are great.

Vaughn is the hammer of choice for a lot of journeymen carpenters. Nice balance.

It is in really good shape. Not rusty or beat up. Seems like it has some pretty good steel in it when I put the file to it. It will get used. Thanks for the replies.

Maybe it's a roofing hammer?

Slate roofing hammer?

Ever heard of Larry Haun? He passed away back in 2011 but his carpentry videos on youtube are excellent.

Skip ahead to the 39 minute mark and watch him sink 16d nails with one strike. That's a Vaughn hammer he's swinging

Plus 1 on the Vaughn hammers. They are some of the best balanced hammers on the market.

Those are 8d nails he's sinking in the video, not 16d, if they were 16d I'd be impressed.

I believe that would be for wood shakes. Hatchet to cut them to size, hammer to nail them on.

Might be a Rigging Axe.....how long is the handle?

When everything else fails use the googler.

Rigging Axe

https://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-28-Ounce-Builders-Hatchet-construction/dp/B00004Z2XT

Roofers Hatchet.

They were originally designed for installing Wood Shake's. The blade was for splitting and the pin and three hole are used for spacing the rows.

https://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-14-Ounce-Shingling-Hatchet-Quality/dp/B00004Z2XX

The axe in the middle is a Carpenters Axe.

They have a straight blade as opposed to the chopping axe and the head is notched (for lack of a better word) so you can choke up on it and carve.



BTW....as stated above Vaughn makes top notch stuff.

Not a slate hammer, slate hammer has a pick on one side to punch nail holes in the slate.

Vaughan riggers are better balanced than Plumb.....

I have an all steel Vaughn camp hatchet I have had for 40 years or so. The quality is as good as Estwings from the same period. Nice stuff.

Many thanks for all the replies. Been cutting and splitting a load of locust fire wood. The handle on the hatchet is
11 1/2" long. The hatchet head looks like the 4 in the middle of Huntsman's picture....except the hammer head on the one I have is octagon shaped and maybe not quite as large. The handle has a worn reddish finish on it with small flats on the top and bottom side of the handle. Huntsman, are those the original handles on your hatchets? Approximately how old are the middle 4 hatchets. Merry Christmas to All!

Sounds like it could be a Plumb.

Careful....Don's happiest when he's hating on Plumbs.

all from the '80's except the left rigger with the darker handle. Maybe got it about '92 or so. All have been re-hafted. (numerous times). I don't hate Plumbs, hell, the 2 right hatchets are plumb and the 3 middle riggers are Vaughans. I just prefer the balance of the vaughans. But it does sound like 260's may really be a Plumb, by the short reddish handle and octagon head. Is it really stamped Vaughan? Toss up a pic, because it don't sound like a rigger.....

It has Vaughn / Made is USA stamped on the left side of it. I would put up a pic if I had a clue how to do it.

Actually the Made In USA is directly under Vaughn

We always called them a framing axe...........

Vaughan half hatchet is my opinion.