More axe questions

[moparthug]

Picked up a pair of axe heads at a yard sale, rusty to the point you couldn't see any manufacturers names, but they both cleaned up nicely. This is where my questions begin. The big 4 pound Kelly (Dayton pattern?) says Black Raven, and every online Black Raven axe I see has an intricate stamping or etching of a bird in a square. I can't find any that just say Black Raven with no fanciness added. Does this make mine earlier, later, or perhaps even a fake???

Next question, Wards Master Quality hewing axe... who made these?

As always many thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[Lewill2]

Isn't True Temper the name of one of the big hardware dealer chains? True Value maybe, it could have been made for that major chain by Kelly Black Raven so they didn't put the rest of the fancy markings on it.

[Lewill2]

Forget that idea, I did find this group.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/black-raven-identification.1644125/

[wvtools]

I live in Charleston WV and can answer some of your Kelly questions.  Tom Lamond's Kelly Axe book has a lot of information in it, and a lot of pictures of labels and logos.  Your ax was made after 1931 according to his book.  Kelly made axes for Simmons (Keen Kutter), Belknap (Bluegrass), and probably a lot of other store brands.  I will have to check out the link.

[Bill Houghton]

Can't answer on the axe head, but the Wards Master Quality plane I've got is a good tool.

[wvtools]

If you want to know who made the Ward's plane, you can post a picture on here.  It was most likely Stanley, but could have been Sargent.  There is usually a little variation on some of the handles and knobs between the store and name brands, but you can usually tell which maker made it.