The Axe Is A Basic Tool Of Man

The axe is one of man’s oldest tools. When man first discovered fire, the axe was soon to follow. This versatile tool was used to cut and split wood for fires and building. It was also used as an instrument of war and hunting. Today almost every home workshop and certainly every farm workshop has at least one of these tools on hand.

There are a large variety of lumber axes, dating back to the early stone axes. These includes war axes of a wide variety as well as throwing axes and hewing and splitting axes. Perhaps the most common axe in use today is the single bladed axe used for wood spliting. This axe has a flat hammer head like surface on one side and the cutting blade on the other. It can be used both for chopping and for pounding. It is good for splitting firewood and cutting down trees. The hammer portion of the head is good for pounding wedges into pieces of wood being split.

The Lumber Axe Was Made Famous By Paul Bunyan

Another kind of axe, still popular but not as common as in years past is the double bladed lumber axe. It is the tool of Paul Bunyan fame. This tool was used by woodcutters and lumbermen before the invention widespread use of the crosscut saw and then later the portable chain saw. The double blade design gave the wood cutter a two sharp blades to use each day in the same tool. It was designed to make woodcutting easier for the men wielding the axe.

Almost every camper has an axe in his or her camping gear. Using an axe to cut wood for an open fire is almost as basic to man as fire itself. Even people who have never had to depend on a wood fire for cooking and heating enjoy building and watching a fire.

The axe was a basic tool of early man. Now, 50 or more centuries later, it is still a basic woodworking tool for men everywhere.