Share your agricultural billhook

[Akanthus]

Here another example from central Germany.It has a length from about 40 cm.Together with a spoon like tool it was used for removing bark from trees.The bark was needed for tanning leather.It is said that each blacksmith in the villages had his own signs on the blades.Certainly it was made around 1900.

[drac2k]

I'm late to the game, but I've got a couple of entries. The longer 30" one is very heavy; almost .75" at the base of the spine. I think that I saw a similar example for cutting banana tree stalks.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

I'm late to the game, but I've got a couple of entries. The longer 30" one is very heavy; almost .75" at the base of the spine. I think that I saw a similar example for cutting banana tree stalks.

Hello David,

Thank you for showing these nice examples. Any guesses from where they are coming?

Regards,
Detlef

[Akanthus]

Here some pictures.Sorry the first and second is upside down.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Akanthus

Here some pictures.Sorry the first and second is upside down.

Hello Akanthus,

Also to you, thanks for showing your example! Do you know where your example originated?

Regards,
Detlef

[drac2k]

Thanks, Detlef, I was hoping that you could tell me. My short piece looks similar to your example and I noticed that the short one had a star pattern comparable to the one belonging to Ankathus.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Thanks, Detlef, I was hoping that you could tell me. My short piece looks similar to your example and I noticed that the short one had a star pattern comparable to the one belonging to Ankathus.

Hello David,

Your short one and the one from Akanthus could be European or European influenced American. The handle construction makes me think like this. Has the blade an end-to-end tang pened at top of the handle?

Regards,
Detlef

[Akanthus]

Hi Detlef, yes,it's made in the area of the town of Siegen in Nordrheinwestfalen.These knifes are called " Knipp " and the owners often used it for decades and they were their personal tools.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Akanthus

Hi Detlef, yes,it's made in the area of the town of Siegen in Nordrheinwestfalen.These knifes are called " Knipp " and the owners often used it for decades and they were their personal tools.

Hi Akanthus,

You live around 100 km far away from me and it seems that the people call such a sickle knife already different, I know the term "Knipp" but here it is called "Hippe"! My grandmother still used such a "Hippe" when she worked in the garden. Other terms are Heppe, Häbe, Hape, Säsle, Sesel and Gertel. Just different idioms.

Regards,
Detlef

[drac2k]

Great information; the tang goes all the way through the handle like yours. How old do you think my example is; are they still made? In this day of electric power tools, it is hard to imagine that they still are.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Great information; the tang goes all the way through the handle like yours. How old do you think my example is; are they still made? In this day of electric power tools, it is hard to imagine that they still are.

Hi David,

You still can buy such sickle knives new so it's difficult to say how old yours or the other shown examples are but I guess they are minimum from the mid of the last century, maybe much older. Attached are pictures of examples I found online.

Regards,
Detlef