Axe

A metal axe

An axe is a tool used to shape, split or cut wood, and as a weapon. The axe has many forms and specialised uses but generally consists of an axe head with a handle, or helve.

Materials needed

• Large rock with perpendicular edges. Alternatively, a river rock, round shaped and smooth to the touch.
• Green wood, meaning that it that has been recently harvested and therefore has not had an opportunity to dry, or from a young or small tree. This will ensure the wood can be bent and shaped without breaking.
• Cord, made of bark or wet rawhide.

Crafting instructions

Shaping and sharpening the axe head

To craft the axe head, hit off a piece of the source rock for the head with a hammering rock that can be held comfortably in your hand and with an even rock face, striking the upper edge of the former with the latter. While hitting it, you should focus on striking off flakes and slabs of rock, using swift hits. You might want to wear safety eye and hand protection for safety to protect yourself from flying rock shards. The stone head should be around the size of your palm or a little larger, and it can take several hours until the source rock has the ideal size for the head.

If a river rock is used, its grains have to be slowly removed to prevent it from damaging or splitting. Hit a small area of the rock at a time, using short and swift strokes to peck away the river rock carefully. The work might take several hours.

Once the rock has been pecked down to an appropriate size, you will need to form the cutting edge of the axe head, sharpening it. The head should taper down toward the edge, and the edge should be a similar thickness to a metal axe, with a narrow edge. Hold the axe head vertically, resting on the wide side of the rock, and use the hammering rock to form a narrow end of the axe head by hitting it with small and short movements. Afterwards, polish and sharpen the axe head on a stone with water, since it helps that it stays sharp and durable.

Attaching the head to the handle

To insert the axe head, split the axe handle, trying to make a symmetrical split and that is not leaning to one side. This can be done by using a knife or a sharp stone. A method to attach the axe head to the handle is splitting the handle down the middle, forming a gap large enough to fit the axe head. Gently slide the axe head into the split once it is large enough to fit the head. If you are using a knife, you can carve out a symmetrical split in the handle, ensuring that the width of one both sides of the handle are the same. Alternatively, if the wood is very flexible and soft, the top of the handle can be soaked in water until it is it is soft and pliable, making sure that it does not break, and afterwards it can be bent it around the axe head, attaching it to the handle.

Use cord made of bark or wet rawhide to secure the axe head. Whether you use the split method or the wrap method, you will need to secure the axe head to the handle so it does not fall out when you use the axe. You can use cord made of bark, such as hibiscus bark, or wet rawhide, if you have access to rawhide.

References

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Axe, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).

External links

• How to Make a Stone Axe - Wikihow
• Cómo hacer un hacha de piedra - Wikihow (in Spanish)
• Make a Hafted Stone Axe - 28 April 2012, Sensible Survival
• Stone-Age Tools: How to Make a Stone Axe, a Stone Knife and Spear Point - Knoji
• How to Make a Stone Axe - Survival.ark.net.au
• Making a stone axe without any tools is really impressive - Casey Chan, 22 June 2015, Gizmodo
• Primitive Technology: Stone Axe (celt) - Primitive Technology, 23 May 2015, YouTube