I have been really impressed and awestruck by the responses so far, as they all have lead into different perspectives, insights, opinions, etc on this simple tool.
I will tell you what an axe means to me.
To me, an axe means, or probably better stated, freedom, comfort, respect, and work.
I have a stressful job that I don't particularly enjoy, but, as a job does for most of us, it pays the bills.
That being said, when the day is done, or have some time, the axe is my way to get away from the real world, on concentrate on something totally different than what the average day brings.
Using, restoring, collecting, admiring, researching, etc. It lends a hand to have me grow in another way that perhaps most guys don't.
I think of the simplicity of the tool, but then also all the facts, metrics, etc that go into making a great axe. Weight, balance, haft length and thickness, eye size, poll thickness, bit width, sharpness, centerline, grind, wedge, cross wedge, oil, paint, knob, curved or straight handle, rotation, hand placement, on and on and on. How can one of the oldest, simplest tools, have so many variables associated with it?? What does that all mean to me, someone else a thousand, 3 thousand miles away, etc?
I think of the hey day of axes. The manufacture. The marketing, especially the marketing has always fascinated me. You have a tool, basically meant for chopping, and you might have it plain jane, or you might have a tremendously intricate embossing on it. Salesmen, slogans, trademarks, etc. All for a simple tool. "Legitimus". "The Recollection of Quality Remains Long After The Price is Forgotten". Best crucible steel. On and on. Try explaining that to a real tough guy today, that has never used an axe. The disconnect cannot be measured. And that fascinates me.
It also takes me back to time with my father, cutting, splitting, stacking wood for our house. While we didn't rely on axes heavily for this chore, it is where my love with the axe got it roots at the very start.
When I look at an axe, I think of the old timers and what their day must of looked and been like. Their appreciation for the axe is something that most people will never truly understand, as we don't have to rely on the tool for our basic well being. I believe, or want to believe I have that appreciation, but I know that is basically a lie, as I can't fully understand what the glory days of the axe were really like.
I think of work, sweat, results, and a job well done. I think of majestic forests, but then also clear cut lands. I think of the advancement of America, and the loss of wilderness.
It is a great tool that will always have a spot in the hearts of men, as it means something at some level to everyone.
I love axes.
