The design of one sided axes.

[Andy Kev.]

For a while I've been idly considering the potential worth of a hand axe for rough splitting of boards etc. As I was in the Dictum shop in Munich on Saturday I had a look at the axes which are flat on one side and have the cutting bevel on the other. The design was remarkable: imagine holding the axe directly in front of you so that the blade is running on an axis 90° to your left-right axis (i.e. square to you as you stand). This arrangement means that the handle is cocked off at something like 20° to the right in an axe where the bevelled side is on the right.

Two different makes had the same idea although literally to different degrees. I couldn't see that this would be of any benefit although I guess that it is an attempt to take natural body stance into account i.e. you don't stand dead square to a bit of wood you are chopping in much the same way that you don't stand square while sawing. That remains a guess, however and I'm afraid that I don't see it. The counter to that is that axes have been around for millenia and designs have evolved for good reasons.

So does anybody know what the reason for the lateral cocking of the handle is? And are there one sided axes with the handle and blade in a line?

 

[Jacob]

Woodcarvers use one-sided bevel axes - link here.
They were used a lot in basic forestry for shaping felled timber - putting a flat face on etc.
A joiners axe was a standard bit of kit. I was issued with one and they were used a lot. Basically a normal two bevel very light axe for splitting thin stuff, shaping the ends of wall plugs, etc. etc. but most useful for scribing boards.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

These are "side axes", for hewing a flat surface on a beam etc. I'm not an expert, but I guess the wonky handle keeps your knuckles out of mischief and your sight line clear.

 

[Jacob]

These are "side axes", for hewing a flat surface on a beam etc. I'm not an expert, but I guess the wonky handle keeps your knuckles out of mischief and your sight line clear.

Probably to be followed with an adze I guess.

 

[Andy Kev.]

Jacob,

as an aside, knowing how much you value special editions of tools etc. and rightly place high value on the nature of the packaging, you ought to have a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYS8s2I4qCo

I'm wandering off my own topic with that but remember seeing one a few weeks ago in a shop in a place called Tübingen. It looked so pretty lying on its piece of reindeer pelt. Naturally the price varies depending on what the handle is made of.

 

[Jacob]

Very nice! As it happens I've two of them already attached to my belt and after breakfast I'm popping out to kill something!

 

[J_Cramer]

These are "side axes", for hewing a flat surface on a beam etc. I'm not an expert, but I guess the wonky handle keeps your knuckles out of mischief and your sight line clear.

A few years ago I stumbled upon a blog entry or two by Peter Follansbee, who is an avid hatchet man himself, describing the peculiarities of those hewing hatchets:

https://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/tag/side-hatchet/


Cheers
Jürgen

 

[Andy Kev.]

Thanks. That seems to answer all my questions. I'll look into the Kent axe to see if it has not got a cocked handle because I don't think I could get on with anything other than a straight one.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

The Peter Follansbee article is pretty good, and I envy his side axe.

As well as the protection of knuckes, another obvious point is that in shaping a large beam, unless you are Japanese with a very good eye and balls of steel, you'll be standing to the side of it, so the angled head is needed to work a flat face.

 

[Woodchips2]

They are used by "Green Woodworkers" (ie people who use unseasoned timber) to roughly cut to shape before refining on a shave horse with a draw knife.
Regards Keith

 

[bugbear]

Lots of axe work (links/videos) here:

post1118109.html?hilit=axe%20built#p1118109

BugBear

 

[matthewwh]