Wow nice work and a beautiful tool!
I'm a bit too far away to send such a tool, and besides I'm still visiting with grand-kids and great grand-kids and so not at home, otherwise I'd be up for testing anything..
In testing such an axe one has to consider the meditations of Marcus Aurelius - seriously:
"This, what is it in itself, and by itself, according to its proper constitution? What is the substance of it? What is the matter, or proper use? What is the form, or efficient cause? What is it for in this world, and how long will it abide? Thus must thou examine all things that present themselves unto thee."
or as Anthony Hopkins paraphrased it in "Silence of the Lambs, " Ask of each thing, what is its particular nature?"
I'm quite serious because this axe is fashioned after period axes and must be judged and tested as such. So it should function for all three of chopping, splitting and shaping of wood but obviously won't be as efficient as an axe optimized for just two of the three tasks. At the same time an axe optimized for two of the tasks will never work on the third.
The first few of many comparisons which would be unfair are:
- Balanced axes where the larger poll is made to balance the weight of the blade will work far better for horizontal chopping, but are not present even on trade axes of the last century, let alone older axe designs.
- Axes with huge bevel and ramp areas will be far more efficient for both chopping and splitting, but for shaping wood an axe with steep bevels is required since it is held close to the head. If an axe with acute bevels is used, then as it follows the grain the axe head and handle will snap down trapping fingers between wood and axe handle.
- I am a huge fan of the broad hatchet for shaping wood (it doesn't chop or split well), but that only works for straight flat surfaces and joints. In earlier times the general purpose axe was used both to shape flat surfaces, and more importantly curved surfaces.
This design of axe was in use for far longer than our present polled axes, because it does actually work for all three of chopping/splitting/shaping. The more obtuse bevels also make it far better as a skinning tool and for separating joints in butchery. Most of us are familiar with the Gransfors 'Hunter's Axe" where a rounded poll is used in skinning deer. Bigger stuff has the hide more securely attached and so the curved edge of an axe works well - if it has steep bevels (otherwise it's easy to cut into the hide and ruin it.).
I believe that the main testing criteria are wood shaping (flats, joints and curves) and skinning a large animal (and hunting season soon over..).