Small axe

[grainweevil]

View attachment 84307
Bill hook.

Most don’t have the back blade.

This is the tool we used for gathering small Christmas trees.
We used it for pea stick (First) thinning too.

Pretty much the same pattern as mine but without the hole, and probably twice as thick.

This is sort of my point. They all look a bit alike, but they're really not. Just see A Load of Old Billhooks to illustrate. Are we talking a particularly heavy pattern? Or light? Avoid two-handed? Or not? Or does it actually not matter at all (gasp!) and the dozens of different designs were "just because" all along? Which would be a valid answer, but I will admit, surprising.

 

[Pattree]

They are just a simple tool often made to a local pattern (sickles and hedging hooks more so.). I suspect that you’d buy the local one and just get used to it.

We didn’t have a choice, we were just issued with one

Our crops are way behind 20 to 25 on first thinnings at the moment. You’d struggle with a bill hook

Oh I’m talking little three to four foots. An old guy called Eric used to disappear into Blakemere and cut hundreds of little natural regen. I doubt we sold a quarter of them. I’m guessing that a lot ended up at Chester Zoo as browse)

 

[Stew]

This is sort of my point. They all look a bit alike, but they're really not. Just see A Load of Old Billhooks to illustrate. Are we talking a particularly heavy pattern? Or light? Avoid two-handed? Or not? Or does it actually not matter at all (gasp!) and the dozens of different designs were "just because" all along? Which would be a valid answer, but I will admit, surprising.

There used to be a coppicer who frequented here years ago - he was a big fan of the newton pattern. I bought one and have never regretted it.

 

[Stlh374]

Depending on budget have a look at the gransfors bruks splitting hatchet I love mine

 

[Springchicken]

If splitting is your axe's prime function, it is definitely worth thinking about the Roselli axe. It may look odd, but it does the job brilliantly - and does pretty well when felling or trimming things.