The Cruiser Axe: Definition, Uses and History
Thanks to Trevor Martin for the photos for this post (Instagram: @dirtydirtywrenches)
A “cruiser” is a mid-sized or small double-bit axe. The standard size is a 2.5lb head on a 28″ handle, but they can be smaller. The name comes from the Timber Cruisers who historically used these axes to blaze trails and mark trees while evaluating the potential lumber yield on a plot of land.
With the logging industry in full swing, most major American axe makers started offering cruiser axes as a standard model. Their popularity quickly grew well beyond their original intended market.
These lightweight and versatile axes can be easily carried and used one-handed, which made them popular for all kinds of other outdoor professions, as well as for campers and sportsmen. And as a result, they were widely mass-produced for over 100 years.
A 28” handle and 2.5 lbs head became the standard definition of a cruiser adopted by major axe makers and was easily the most widely produced size.
But there are a range of cruiser sizes, all the way down hatchets with 1lb double-bit heads. These smallest cruising axes are sometimes called “saddle cruisers” (more on that below).
Origin of the Cruiser Axe
The original designation of a cruiser axe came in the mid-late 1800s as the logging industry was booming, and specialized roles started to request specialized tools.
Timber cruisers (later forest engineers) were experienced loggers who would navigate the forest to measure and estimate the quality and value of the lumber on a specific plot of land. This was vital for evaluating land prices, logging rights, and planning where to send work crews.
Cruisers would often have to travel through the wilderness on foot or by horseback to get to the plot of land to be surveyed. They needed an axe that was small enough to carry easily, capable enough to do the required job, and suitable for an extended backwoods stay.
On top of estimating the potential lumber yield of the land, Timber Cruisers could be asked to check the health of the trees (by cutting into them), blaze the trail for the work crew to follow, mark the perimeter, and scout out and mark the best place for the work camp to be set up.
As the standards changed, timber cruisers were replaced by Forest Engineers. Rather than just being experienced loggers, these men were trained in technical methods to better measure and value forests for multiple industries and with greater accuracy.
How to Identify a Cruiser Axe
Just because a double-bit axe has a short handle – doesn’t mean it’s a “real” cruiser. The size of the eye is the most definitive way to verify if an axe is a cruiser.
A true cruiser has a head manufactured at 2.5 lbs or less, with a proportionately smaller eye than a full-size double-bit axe. A cruiser eye will be about 2.25″ long or smaller, while a full-size double-bit eye will be between 2.75″ and 3″ long.
A cruiser axe head will be under 9″ long with around a 4” cutting edge. there are different patterns and shapes of cruisers, but there is less variation than their larger double-bit axes. They usually have shorter wider blades, which are better for slashing or chopping smaller trees and branches.
Cruiser Weight Stamps
Obviously, it is easy to identify some cruisers if they are stamped with a weight. Some makers used a simple “2.5 lbs“, ‘but the more common (and more desirable) mark on American cruisers is the ” 22 ” stamp.
“22” often gets misread as 2lbs 2oz, but the large 2 is the pounds, but the small number represents quarter pounds (1 = 1/4, 2 = 1/2, 3 = 3 3/4). So a 22 stamp means 2.5 lbs.
The Saddle Cruiser
A “saddle cruiser” is a colloquial name for the smallest cruisers.
A saddle cruiser is a double-bit hatchet, with a head under 2lbs that could be stored on the side of a saddle and used one-handed on horseback to blaze a trail, mark trees, and clear branches without dismounting.
The “saddle cruiser” name doesn’t appear to have been widely used in marketing or catalogs of the early 1900s. These smaller sizes were also just called “cruisers”. The name seems to have grown organically.
It’s possible it became popular because of the Norlund axe brand, which released a doubled-bit hatchet called the “saddle cruiser” in the 1960s – but it’s likely the name was already in use at that time.
Today Council Tool still actually makes a saddle cruiser with a 2lb head on a 16″ handle (see here).
Saddle Cruiser or Nessmuk?
This type of axe is also known as a “Nessmuk” axe by the bushcraft crowd.
Nessmuk was the pen name of author George W. Sears. A writer from the 1800s famous for popularizing camping and canoeing in the Adirondacks through his articles in Field & Stream, and his book “Woodcraft”.
In Woodcraft he very prominently features a 1lb double-bit hatchet, profiled with one edge to be thin and sharp like a knife, and the other side more sturdy for heavier chopping and processing game.
Collectability of a Cruiser Axe
Cruiser axes are not rare, but they are not as common as full-size axes, and tend to benefit from having a little bit more “cool factor”. So for marked and branded axes, a cruiser will typically go for more money than a standard double-bit (all other conditions being equal).
The 22 stamp is something people look for, as it is proof the axe was made as a cruiser, and will also likely bump up the price.
But of course, markings vary from brand to brand as some will be rarer than others, but don’t assume an axe is rare or valuable just because it’s a cruiser.
Note: Again, some people will try and pass old worn-out full-size heads on short handles as cruisers – either through ignorance or to make their axe seem rare.
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