THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 279 



helve too sharp ; and avoid a very large hilt. Such a hilt 

 is sure to cramp the hand, and make a man's wrist lame, 

 and the fingers stiff. Always lay the pattern on the stick, 

 so that the part at c E will be towards the lark, and the 

 part at D towards the heart of the tree. Then, if the helve 

 should spring, it would spring with the curve, which will make 

 an axe hang still better ; whereas, should it spring sideways, it 

 would be a worthless thing to chop with. (See SPRINGING OF 

 TIMBER, in next vol.) Endeavor to make a hilt that will work 

 easily in the hand, and not one so short and sharply curved that 

 the third and the little fingers hold the axe, while the first and 

 second fingers do nothing. A longish hilt is most desirable ; 

 because it never cramps the hand in chopping. Fig. 126 is an 

 exact representation of helves made by the author, which have 

 been pronounced by some of the best choppers in the Empire 

 State to be exactly right in every particular. 



HANGING THE CHOPPING AXE 



375. Is a piece of labor which requires no little skill to perform 

 correctly ; and if it is not correctly done an axe will not work 

 well. Good choppers usually know when an axe is correctly 

 hung ; but a great many excellent choppers cannot hang an axe 

 correctly. And when an axe hangs wrong, or " bad," as chop 

 pers say, it is impossible to chop well. 



376. The RULE for hanging an axe upon the most approved 

 mechanical principles is, to have it so fastened on the helve that the 

 edge will range exactly in the direction of the centre of the hilt, and 

 that the hilt, the centre of the eye, and the centre of the blade, will be 

 at right angles. By consulting Fig. 126, it will be seen by the 

 dotted lines, showing the angle of the, axe, that this line cuts the 

 hilt, the centre of the eye, and the centre of the blade. "When 

 the eye of an axe is crooked, or not in range with the edge, which 

 is often the case with even good axes, the edge may be made to 

 stand in range with the hilt of the helve, by wedging the axe on 

 one side of the centre of the helve. When the eye is true we 

 insert a wedge in the centre of the eye, splitting the helve in the 



12* 



