The History and Evolution of the Axe

The history and the evolution of the axe probably has a lot of parallels with the history of the hammer, they both originated in the Stone Age from plain handheld stones to stones tied to a handle to metal versions of the same. The first hand axes were probably used for killing animals, digging and cutting wood among other things. In the Stone Age, axes underwent variation, some with shaft holes and some without. The shaft holed axes were more recent and show a lot more evolution and “polishing” in the design of axes than their predecessors and were quite functional tools. Stone axes underwent a ton of design changes and eventually led to the various axes from tools to battle axes.

The Bronze and Iron Ages saw some changes with the axe and this would be where the axe and hammer began to really show their differences. The axes became thinner and the blade more pronounced whereas the hammer’s face became flatter. The first axes were usually cast in bronze allowing for mass production and were a step above the stone axe. Innovation also took place in that the socketed axe (basically the axe’s rear plugged on the end of a stick) appeared, and this was different than the axes with a shaft hole. The initial iron axes were essentially the same as bronze, but iron was more versatile and could be made and shaped for many different jobs from labor to combat. Iron was also able to be forged making for a stronger tool and an obvious replacement for bronze.

As the iron and steel axes evolved over time, and as axes became more specialized, toolmakers honed their craft and developed better steel, and specialized axes. Some of these axe makers continue to this day. Ochsenkopf, for example, has been around since 1781 and has since been acquired by Gedore tools in 2004. What makes Ochsenkopf stand apart is that more than 200 years of engineering has resulted in strong design and quality materials. An Ochsenkopf axe uses a “crown-cutting” form (more rounded edge) to preserve the life of the axe and the handles are designed to be as ergonomic as possible. These axes also use C60 steel and hard woods like hickory to ensure that with proper care they will last a long time. The hickory wood contains strong fibers that keep the axe together should it break, a great safety feature and the C60 steel is a high carbon steel that is incredibly hard, but not too brittle which happens with steel that has too much carbon in it. While there are other brands of axe that are good, Ochsenkopf has probably been around the longest and that experience leads to quality. That's the main reason we carry this brand of axe.

The axe, along with the hammer, is a tool that has been with mankind since very early in our history. These tools started as stones that were chipped and shaped to smash, dig and cut. It made sense to attach a handle and as metal was introduced, upgrading to that improved the tool. Over the centuries since metal was added, design improvements have given us tools that will last and are safer to use. Here at Haus of Tools, we're proud to be able to carry tools with a tradition of greatness.