Shipwrights Adze - Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust

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Shipwright's peg-poll adze - this standard adze personifies the shipwrights trade. It is a single-edged cutting tool that has to be used vigorously with a chopping motion in shaping the timber. The double curved haft (or helve) gives the tool the essential balance without which the shipwright would find it unmanageable for his work needs. The helve, usually of ash or hickory, needs to be a good fit in the palm of the hand, it can be used in any direction without undue fatigue, and the shipwright has absolute control over his adze. The helve has an oval section, and this in the hand helps to control the blade. A shipwright would try not to polish the helve too much, because control would be lost with it swivelling in the hand. The peg poll was used for driving spikes or bolts below the surface when dubbing down. The blade is loosely fitted to the helve/handle on this example which is straight and of square section and not the usual shipwrights double curved oval section handle, probably fitted to use the adze in a non-traditional manner, the handle has a black shiny deposit running its length and there are small white specks across the inside of the curved head. The head is stamped with a number 2, adze's were made in sizes 1 to 4.