2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The ax is widely used in the household, and it also often accompanies its owners on various expeditions, exciting hikes and hunting. Nowadays, you can buy axes for every taste - both domestic and foreign manufacturers. Nevertheless, in order to choose a good ax, you should still familiarize yourself with its main parameters, because a well-chosen ax can make life much easier
Types of axes
Depending on the functional purpose, there are several different types of this irreplaceable assistant.
Universal. Its reverse part, called the butt, is often made in the form of a conventional nail puller or hammer.
Splitting ax. It is used for splitting firewood. It is equipped with a rather powerful, very long handle, and its chopping part has the shape of a triangular prism.
Lumberjack. This is one of the heaviest axes designed for working with wood, sometimes used for splitting numerous firewood. It has a pretty comfortable and incredibly powerful grip.
Plotnitsky. A very common type of ax with a straight-type chopping part, indispensable for numerous carpentry and various joinery jobs. Its sharpening angle is usually 25 to 30 degrees.
Tourist. Quite lightweight and compact. Most often, this tool is made of high quality steel and packed in a branded case.
Hunting. The cutting part of this ax is lightweight and equipped with a special notch.
Myasnitsky. The name of this ax speaks for itself - it is intended for chopping meat and bones. His weight is very solid - about 3.2 kg.
Also, axes may differ depending on the country where they were produced. For example, in French axes, the blade is made in the form of a small bell, and their ax is always straight. And for a similar American-made tool, the length of the handles reaches one hundred centimeters, and the blade is trapezoidal.
Choosing an ax
When choosing this well-known tool to all, a number of parameters should be taken into account. Particularly important in this case is the ax handle, the weight of the tool, as well as the sharpening of its blade.
An important role is played by the material from which the handle is made, as well as its shape. They make axes from hornbeam, beech, pear, maple, oak, ash or birch and other tree species. The best among this abundance is considered to be a birch ax, which is characterized by high strength. And at the end, the handle must have a bend and a slight thickening, and it must not be too short.
As for the sharpening of the blade, the most optimal are axes, whose blades are well sharpened at an angle of forty degrees. Over-sharpened blades that can penetrate deeply into the material processed by the tool often become blunt quickly. Well, if an ax is needed exclusively for chopping logs or cutting trees not exceeding ten centimeters in diameter, then a blunt sharpening will also be very suitable. Sharpening is also divided according to such parameters: the angle is considered acute if it is made directly from the butt, and blunt when the sharpening starts from the edge.
Ax blades are divided into straight and slightly rounded. Straight lines are much easier to split various objects, as they are aimed at a good hit. And the rounded ones have excellent cutting ability and often have a rather large blade length. Rounded blades are most commonly found on Finnish axes.
The blades of this irreplaceable assistant can be medium, narrow and wide. The main purpose of the blade is to distribute the forces transmitted to the tool from the applied muscular force of the owner to a specific area. Narrow blades are usually intended for small spaces, medium ones - respectively for medium ones, and large (two or three palms in size) - for solid areas.
The greater the weight of the ax, the stronger its blow will be (it is definitely not possible to cope with a light ax with a solid log). The most optimal weight for this tool is 0.7 - 1 kg. And the quality of steel can be determined in the "old-fashioned" way: lightly hit with a hard object on an ax suspended from a rope. The longer and louder the sound, the better the steel.
Well, in order to choose the most suitable and best ax, you should also familiarize yourself with the manufacturers that produce the highest quality tools.
