The mission of Great Mountain Forest is to be a leader in forest stewardship. We practice sustainable forest management, promote biodiversity and resilience to climate change, support education and research, and welcome all who love the woods.

The Collins Company of Collinsville is the best-known manufacturer of cutting tools in Connecticut, and many Collins axes are still in use, even though the company went out of business in 1966. GMF Forester Jody Bronson’s historical collection of Connecticut-produced axes (below) features, from top to bottom, Bradley, Collins, Rogers, Bronson & Townsend and Bridgeport. Contemporary American producers of handmade axes include Brant and Cochran in Maine, and Council Tool, still in business from 1886, whose axes are made in North Carolina.   

The Physics of Axes

The ax blade is a wedge and has to accomplish three things with each swing: cut wood fibers, displace the chips of the cut wood, and release from the wood so the ax doesn’t get stuck. Striking the wood surface at a 45° angle to the ax head maximizes the outcome for all three objectives. A thinner blade will cut deeper but not displace the chip as effectively; a heavier ax will make faster headway but requires more strength. The final variable in the force = mass x acceleration formula is provided by the swing as the top hand slides from the shoulder of the handle down to meet the fixed hand on the throat. An ax should have a hardened cutting edge but softer metal in the cheeks, absorbing some of the impact shock. A well-smoothed wood handle rubbed with linseed oil prevents blisters. 

The Metaphysics of Axes

“I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist, and written not a few myself, but I suspect that the best one is written not with a pen, but with an axe. It is a matter of what a man thinks about while chopping, or while deciding what to chop. A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke he is writing his signature on the face of his land.” 

― Aldo Leopold, from “Axe-in-Hand.” 1949. A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There. Oxford University Press, New York.

For those struggling with the conundrum of axes versus chain saws: an ax always starts, it’s lighter, it does not require fossil fuels, and it is affordable. An ax can be repaired with simple tools, and it’s quiet. Good instructions for proper technique and safety can be found in old scouting manuals and on the internet once the viewer gets past all the ax-throwing videos.  

Bibliography and Recommended Reading



Beckley B. One Moving Part – the Forest Service Ax Manual. 2020. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service National Technology and Development Program.  

McLeod B. American Axe: The Tool that Shaped a Continent. 2020. Story Publishing. North Adams, MA. 

Leff D. “A Penny for a Blade.” https://davidkleff.typepad.com/home/2018/12/penny-for-a-blade.html

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