Axe

An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, and cut wood, to harvest timber, and as a weapon. The axe has many forms and specialised uses but generally consists of a head with a sharpened blade (also called a "bit") attached to a handle (also called "haft" or "helve"). Before the modern axe, the stone-age hand axe without a handle was used from 1.5 million years BP. Hafted axes (those with a handle) date from at least 46,000 years BP by Northern Indigenous Australians. The earliest examples of handled axes have heads of stone with some form of wooden handle attached (hafted) in a method to suit the available materials and use. Axes made of copper, bronze, iron and steel appeared as these technologies developed. The axe is an example of a simple machine, as it is a type of wedge, or dual inclined plane. This reduces the effort needed by the wood chopper. It cuts and splits the wood into two parts by the pressure concentration at the blade and then the movement of the head in behind the initial cut. The handle of the axe also acts as a lever allowing the user to increase the force at the cutting edge. Generally, the blades of 'cutting axes', which are used for felling, limbing, and bucking, have a shallow (acute) wedge angle, whereas 'splitting axes' have a deeper (more obtuse) angle. Most axes are double bevelled (i.e. symmetrical about the axis of the blade), but some specialist broadaxes have a single bevel blade. Most modern axes have steel heads and wooden handles, although plastic or fibreglass handles are also common. Modern axes are specialised by use, size and form. Hafted axes with short handles designed for use with one hand are often called "hand axes", but the term "hand axe" can also refer to an axe without a handle. Hatchets tend to be short-, small-hafted axes often with a hammer on the back side (the poll, or butt). Relatively easy to make and use, the axe has frequently been used in combat, and is one of humanity's oldest weapons. Axes are also linchpins to the competitive sport of wood-chopping.