A few "other" cutting tools.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

A Bell for scraping hogs.






A South Texas Ulu.  Not sure what it was called but my Great-great grandparents used it for something.






An Adze.




My Bolo that I bought when I was 11 or 12 to edge sidewalks.  It was a hands and knees chopping job but still a better alternative to those push type edgers. 








The ulu and the bell have the same stuff on them that they had on them when they scraped their last hog which was easily 90 - 100 years ago.  I always skinned my hogs.  I had a one-man operation so the work involved in boiling scraping and all the accompanying details were a bit much for me.  I've helped others scrap them but we used big butcher knives. 

I suppose I could clean them up a bit but I kinda like having them like that.  The bell evidently fell into the fire at some point.

The adze was purchase. 

The bolo has a stout blade 16".  If you hit a limb and it doesn't cut it, it will likely break it. 

Alan
 

[wsdstan]

That is a great bunch of tools.  I like the Ulu looking cutter.  I have seen a few of those style in farm auctions around here although non the last couple of years.  The Bolo is a nice size from what I can tell, not sure about using it as an edger, my aim is pretty lame these days.

Thanks for posting these.

[randyt]

awesome tools..

[wolfy]

That 'South Texas Ulu' is actually called a Mezzaluna.....it's Italian, I think.      They were used for chopping meat, vegetables, herbs, etc. and were usually paired with an accompanying wooden bowl which matched the curvature of the blade of the Mezzaluna.

I have a shipwright's adze exactly like the one pictured above.  I got pretty tired of using it, but I'm glad we had it when we hacked a dugout from the inside of a huge cottonwood log for a display at a Lewis & Clark re-enactment......a LOT of work!   The peg-type poll was used for setting nailheads below the surface of the planking on the deck of a ship, so the edge of the adze wouldn't be damaged.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Well, the Mezzaluna (half-moon) makes perfect sense now.  My GGgrandparents were full blooded Italians.  I know the bowl is long gone by now.  But, I will research it a bit and make one.  Thanks for clarifying that, the explanation makes the tool even more special.  Now I'm going to clean it up for sure.

My dad bought the adze at a yard sale up in Connecticut.

Thanks.

Alan

[wsdstan]

Thanks Craig, I wondered what that end of the adze was for.  I have had a couple of them over the years but neither one had that peg. 

Good history on the Mezzaluna and I would imagine it is now even more interesting than before.