Being from NC, I have a deep-rooted curiosity in the naval stores or turpentine industry that leads to an interest in the many axes that were used for it. There was variation in those axes as the industry evolved, and understanding how they were used certainly helps identifying them when they are found.
The turpentine production industry in the US began soon after the country was formed, as turpentine, pitch, and tar, all products of the same industry, were the primary materials that kept the ships of the time watertight. Navies were the primary source of war power at the time, and this made those products extremely valuable. NC’s first primary economy was based on the industry, and many clues to this still define many aspects of our state. The state nickname, “The Tarheel State” comes from this, being that the workers of the trade were generally low wage enough to have an issue affording shoes, and the tar was a direct product of that trade.
Without going into the entire workflow of producing turpentine from the sap of NC pines, it’s important to understand that the procedure changed over time, and with it, the tools used to complete that procedure. Initially, though, to harvest the sap of the large pines that were found in NC, large concavities, called “boxes”, were chipped out of the trunks. According to studies done by the US Forest Service, the historic average diameter of longleaf pines in NC was 45 cm (17”). To form this “box”, an axe with a long, thin head, much like a mortise axe, a was needed. The boxes were frequently around 8” deep, cut into the tree at around 30 to 45 degrees. Rounded edges on the bit kept the user from accidentally widening the box to the point of falling the tree. Workers were generally pushed hard to box a large number of trees a day, so a heavier than normal axe was needed for driving the bit quickly into the tacky wood. The increased weight also allowed for a deeper cut with less of a swing, allowing for a more precise placement of the axe. A typical head for these axes was generally around 14” from poll to bit, and 7 pounds was a typical weight, though these dimensions varied. Advertisements of Turpentine axes up to 12 pounds have been noted. These specialized axes were known as “Boxing Axes”, and they were just one type of turpentine axe, though they are the ones most commonly recognized as such.
Turpentine production in Europe obviously predated its American counterpart, and the deforestation that occurred in the 14th and 15th century there certainly influenced the shape and size of the axes used. This deforestation can be attributed to the beginnings of agriculture, where land was cleared for crop growth and livestock foraging, as well as the rise of powered (fire and steam) industry, as wood was needed as a fuel source. Average tree size decreased as old growth behemoths were felled and burned, and the average size of an axe needed to harvest turpentine, by the time its use was discovered, was equally sized. The vintage Hulks-Brut Agdor Turpentine is a good example of the needs of a European Turpentine patterned axe. Weighing in around 6 pounds or less, the elongated bit definitely implies an insertion into a tree for harvesting the sap. However, with most “Huge” trees gone from the area of its production, the Agdor didn’t need to get too deep to do its job, and so the elongation was minimal in comparison to US based models. This left the pattern looking more like us Americans would think of as a “North Carolina Pattern”. It’s interesting to note that the NC pattern developed in an area that was heavily influenced by the naval stores industry, and when compared to the boxing axe, is easily seen as a hybrid of that axe and the felling or jersey patterned axe.
As the naval stores industry in the US grew through the 1800s, it became quite apparent that despite the finesse of those using the boxing axe, boxing eventually killed the tree. As more and more of the large trees were killed, as they were the best producers initially, with the ability to hold more than 1 “box”, the average size of pine decreased, to about 22 cm (8.5 inches) in modern times. To prolong the time a turpentine manufacturer could harvest sap from an individual tree, the box was replaced with what was known as a “cup”. The cup could be a tin trough or a clay pot, but either would be attached to the external surface of the tree. The sap was channeled into the container by use of “gutters”, which were tin strips that were pounded into the tree. To get the gutters into the trunk of the tree, a specialized type of turpentine axe was used. These could be straight or concave, were reinforced in the poll, and were known as “cupping axes”. As cupping was a technique used for a shorter duration (starting around 1900 and decreasing in use as the industry died), there were far fewer cupping axes produced when compared to the already rare boxing axe. As an interesting side note, William J. Sager, the inventor of the “Chemical Process” that bears his name, had an interest in the turpentine production industry. In September of 1898, he was granted a patent for a “Sap Spout” that was a specialized form of gutter. The body of the patent specifically noted that the device was designed particularly for turpentine production.
In conclusion, it’s quite important to note that the pattern of an axe is specific to its use, and the use of the “Turpentine Axe” varied through time and across locations. Though we can note the terms “Turpentine Pattern” and “Turpentine Axe” as a general group of axes, “Boxing Axes” and “Cupping Axes” would fall into the “Turpentine Axe” group. The attributes of the Boxing Axe, an elongated head, a bit that was narrow and rounded, and a poll that held extra weight, were needed for the task it was designed for. The same can be said for the Cupping Axe, as well as the European Turpentine patterned axe, as their forms were dictated by the needs of their use as well.
