What are axes

The axe is a common tool found around most homes. Commonly called a felling or cutting axe, the axe is used to chop wood. It has a slim, sharp blade designed to cut crossways through the fibers of the wood. The felling axe has been used for many years to cut wood but since the invention of the chainsaw, going out to cut firewood with an axe is not very common.

A felling axe should not be used to split wood. Generally if you try to split a medium sized piece of wood with a felling axe it will just get stuck in the wood and you will be lucky if you can get it out. The felling axe is designed to cut the fibers of the wood not split them apart. If you are going to chop a tree or branches, a felling axe is the proper choice. If your looking to split wood, use a tool designed for the job like a splitting axe or a maul.

A splitting axe can be a great choice for splitting wood. The axe head is designed to split through the wood fibers, not cut them. They come is a variety of different styles and are made by several different manufactures. The axes are lighter than a maul and reduce fatigue allowing you to split wood for longer periods of time.