As with most other tools, selecting the right axe for the job you are doing can be the difference between working hard to do a dangerous task or applying less effort in a safer manner.  Axes come in numerous sizes and shapes with a variety of different heads.  Let’s take a look at the major types of axes and their uses.

Hatchets

Hatches are small axes designed to be used with one hand while the other holds the wood in place.  They are useful for making rough cuts in relatively small logs.  They have axe heads which weigh about a pound and the handle is about a foot long.  
Felling Axe

If you really do need to cut down a tree and don’t have access to a chain saw, the felling axe is the one you should use.  The felling axe can also be referred to as any type of camp axe.  The handle of the axe is about two feet long and the head weighs about two pounds.  The blade is thin, flat and sharp.

Splitting Maul

Most of us don’t chop down trees, but splitting firewood is a chore many do.  The splitting maul is the axe of choice for that job.  The head of a splitting maul is thick and heavy.  It can weigh as much as twelve pounds but must are know where near this weight. 

Specialty Axes

While most people consider axes to be tools used in the yard or to deal with firewood, there are others who consider them crafting tools.  While there are many different sizes and shapes of specialty axes used for such things as building log cabins or creating wood sculptures, these axes are characterized by being adapted to very specific uses. 

The Double Bit Axe

Today, few such axes are used for real work, but they are used for a sport such as axe throwing.  One of the blades is usually sharp for cutting against the grain (chopping branches or trees) and the other isn’t as sharp and is better suited to splitting wood along the grain (like a splitting axe).

Hewing axe

The hewing axe is designed so that one side of the axe is flat.  This is the case so that you can more easily turn a round log into a beam with flat edges.  

Carpenters axe

It’s a small axe used in traditional woodwork, joinery and log-building. It has a pronounced beard and also has a finger notch to allow a “choked” grip for more precise carving.

Before deciding on an axe to purchase, decide what you will use it for and let your use guide your choice.

Pangu is a China axe manufacturer, dedicated to the goal of producing the finest hand tools in the world. In addition to standard line of axes, Pangu also manufactures custom axes to meet specific needs of OEM customers. Contact us to get more info:

Email: Pangu@pangutools.com

Tel: +86-0534-6803678, +86-0534-6803788

Fax: +86-0534-6803678

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