AXES. 



179 



handles, they lighten the labour but render precision in cutting 

 difficult. The Finnish axe (Fig. 79) is the lightest of all, and 

 only 6 inches long so that half its weight is sheathed on 

 the handle. 



The main difference between the American axe and the 



rxf 



Fig. 76. French axe. 



Fiir. 77. Breton axe. 



'8. Lorraine axe. 



various European axes consists in the devices for preventing 

 its jamming and sticking in the cut. The faces of an axe are 

 either provided along their middle line with a prominent ridge, 

 or as in the Pennsylvania!! axe (Fig. 65), are strongly curved 

 outwards. The blade of the latter is 

 made of compressed steel, hardly wears 

 at all, and works well. By general con- 

 sent this axe is considered to save labour 

 and tire the men less than many German 

 axes, owing to its convenient handle and 

 freedom from sticking ; it is used chiefly 

 for softwoods. [The American axe is not, 

 however, adapted for hard, tropical wood, 

 for which the use of a narrower and 

 lighter axe is advisable. Tr.] 



(b) Trimming- Axes. The trimming-axe 

 is used by woodcutters for trimming-off 

 side-pieces of balks, and by the carpenter in preparing timber 

 for building and other purposes. In Germany it is usually 

 of the shape given in Fig. 80, having only one edge, the 

 blade being curved inwards to allow sufficient play for the 

 hand of the operator. The handle is short, usually 1J to 

 If feet, and the workman uses it sideways from the side of the 



N 2 



Fig. 71). Finnish axe. 



