Axes

The axe is one of our oldest tools and can be roughly categorized as either labour tools, religious symbols or weapons. The design is very simple as it only needs two components, the head and the haft. The head is shaped and sized depending on the intended use and the haft is then adjusted to leverage these abilities.

A thick head is used for splitting wood while a thin head is for cutting. Usually the splitting is done through one cut with the axe along the wood grain and then additional force is added with a hammer, forcing the wood grain to separate.

Cutting is instead done through using the sharp edge of an axe to hit against the wood grain, splitting the fibres within. Repeatedly hitting the axehead against the wood grain continues to cut the fibres until the tree falls.

A two handed haft is intended for adding as much force as possible behind the swing, improving the efficiency of the swing. They are found on splitting or felling axes that are used when working with tree trunks or large pieces of wood where great force is required.

One handed hafts are intended for finder work with the axe and are usually found on hatches and hand axes that utilize a head designed for cutting. The one handed haft offer greater control of the swing and the weight of the head balances better, granting the user to shift the grip up and down the haft for greater control or force.

A hatchet is a combination of a hammer and axe head on a one handed haft. It is generally a good choice to bring along when going outdoors when you know that firewood and shelter are scarce.

Saws

Saws are when compared with knives and axes a very new invention. There is saws recovered from burial chambers in Egypt that are more than 4000 years old and its certain that they existed as far back as the stone age which makes the saw as an invention just around 10-15.000 years old or so. Despite their age the saw is just as useful today as it was then, although modern saws are much more efficient and useable to a larger range of materials.

The saw itself is a tool with a hard toothed edge that is used by forcefully moving the edge of the teeth’s towards the material to saw. This can be done in a one or two directions depending on the type of saw but usually the most efficient way to saw is to push the edge of the teeth’s towards the material, lift the saw back to its original position and then repeat the motion.

When outdoors a saw is a very useful tool and one should always bring one if staying outdoors for a longer period of time. For this purpose it is recommended to bring a foldable saw, wire saw or hand chain saw which take weight little and don’t take much space.

Foldable saws come in different sizes and materials depending on manufacturer and use. A good rule of thumb is that it should be small enough for you to be able to put it in a pocket or your backpack without feeling that it takes up space. You will be using it a lot as its easy to use and simplifies preparing firewood or making makeshift shelters.

When it comes to wire saws don’t go for the actual wire saw as main saw, instead put it in a small emergency package you tuck away at the bottom of your backpack. Instead look for a pocket chain saw with nylon loops as handles, they are more rugged than the wire saw, fit into a small package and handle the stress of being used better. Make sure teeth on the chain are alternating in each direction as you will be pulling the saw back and forth when used.