Pick the Right Axe for the Job

[1] HATCHET

Job: Cutting limbs for kindling. Characteristics: Small head, slightly curved blade, and a handle less than a foot long. Other chores: Splitting small pieces of wood and cleaning big game. Tip: Use a stock parallel to the trunk for limbing branches. 

[2] HUNTER'S AXE

Job: Butchering big game. Characteristics: Curved blade with a rounded poll (butt) and a 20-inch handle. Other chores: Light wood splitting. Tip: Push the poll between the hide and meat to skin an animal.

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[3] SPLITTING AXE

Job: Splitting dry wood. Characteristics: Straight, thin blade, lightweight head, and a 2-foot handle. Other chores: Felling small trees. Tip: Place the log to be split on a stump about knee-high.

[4] SPLITTING MAUL

Job: Splitting all kinds of wood. Characteristics: Straight blade, heavy head, and a 2- to 3-foot handle. Other chores: The poll can be used as a sledgehammer. Tip: Sink this combination wedge-axe into the wood as far as it will go. Use a sledgehammer to drive the maul through the wood and finish the spllit.

cc: Field & Stream Magazine