American Axe

From bronze axes of the Viking conquests to the American felling axe, which allowed homesteaders to clear land, build and heat their cabins, and fence their livestock, the axe is a tool that has shaped the world like few others. Over the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were more than 1,000 different axe makers who engaged in a fiercely competitive market, resulting in a proliferation of axe designs with impressive names such as The Woodslasher, Champion, Best Axe, Legitimous, Keen Kutter, Northern King, and the True Temper Perfect. Today, these vintage axes are being resurrected by both woodcutters and collectors captivated by their quality, beauty, and lore. In this photo-rich book, competitive lumberjack and avid axe collector Brett McLeod delves into the origins and usage of this deceptively simple woodcutting instrument, from its basic anatomy to the axe’s journey from Europe to America, where dense forests shaped its — and the continent’s — unique future. With profiles of the most collectible vintage American axes, an exploration of famous log cabins and the axes that created them, a guide to the art of collecting, restoring, and using a vintage axe, and — for the truly adventurous — an overview of axe games and an axe-throwing how-to, American Axe is a fascinating tribute to this historic hand tool.