80 



TOOLS FOR PELIiING AND CONVERSION. 



of Indian trimming axes. Although the advantages of using special 

 trimming axes are unquestionable, yet woodmen in most parts of 

 India actually do all their work with the ordinary felling axe alone. 

 Under this head may be mentioned the light, broad, thin-bladed, 

 one-handed axes (hatchets) used for lopping off small branches and 

 for topping off saplings and cutting bamboos (^Fig. 23). 



Fig. 23. 



-=<D 



Light one--handBd axes (.T^th natural size"). 

 A and B. — XJted, in North-West Himalayas. Weight, 12 ovmces, 



3. Splitting axes. 



These axes, as the name implies, are used for splitting up thick 

 billets or large rounds into sections. Their action is thus almost 

 purely a shearing one. Hence they need not be so sharp as the 

 two descriptions of axes already described, but they should be as 

 heavy as the heaviest trimming axe. Contrary to the rule for 

 those axes, their weight should lie all round the eye in order to give 

 them as much driving power as possible. As they are often used 

 as hammers for driving in wedges, there should also be plenty of 

 metal in the back. A slight convexity of the faces of the blade is 

 not objectionable as long as the taper near the edge is sufficient. 

 Fig. 24 represents two useful patterns of splitting axes. , 



Fig. 24. 



Splitting axes {\tU natural size"). 



