The name on an axe tells you what the head is shaped for, not how big it is. A felling axe cuts across the grain, a splitting axe wedges rounds apart along it, and a boys axe is simply a mid-size general-purpose head. This table compares the patterns we manufacture by head weight and handle length.
| Type | Head weight | Handle | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felling axe | 900-1500 g | 600-900 mm | Cutting across the grain, felling |
| Splitting axe | 1-2.5 kg | 600-900 mm | Splitting rounds along the grain |
| Chopping axe | 800-1200 g | 600-800 mm | General chopping, kindling, camp |
| Boys axe | 600-900 g | 600-700 mm | Limbing, small felling, camp |
| Forest axe | 800-1000 g | 600-750 mm | Limbing, clearing, light felling |
| Hatchet | 300-600 g | 250-400 mm | One-hand camp and kindling work |
| Camp axe | 500-800 g | 400-600 mm | Portable firewood and camp tasks |
| Kindling axe | 500-800 g | 400-600 mm | Splitting small wood for kindling |
Weights and lengths are typical ranges for each pattern; the final figure depends on the head and handle you specify.
Felling axes have a thinner bit with a harder temper so they cut across the grain without binding. Chopping axes sit in the middle: heavier than a felling axe, narrower than a splitter, which is why they are the usual camp and firewood tool. A splitting axe is deliberately blunt and wide - it does not cut, it wedges.
That is also why "splitting axe vs maul" comes up: a maul is heavier (3-4 kg) with an even blunter face, used where a splitting axe bounces off knotty rounds.
A boys axe (also written boy's axe) is roughly 600-900 g on a 600-700 mm handle: light enough to carry, heavy enough to limb and fell small trees. A forest axe is a step up at 800-1000 g. A camp axe is shorter and lighter again, and a hatchet is one-handed at 250-400 mm.
Head patterns include Michigan, Dayton, Jersey, Kentucky, Canadian and Scandinavian; the pattern changes the bit shape and balance rather than the function. Handle length runs from 250 mm (hatchet) to 900 mm (felling and splitting) and is measured from the top of the eye to the end.
For handle replacement, match two numbers: eye size and handle length. Fit the new handle, wedge it, then glue. A handle that is too long for the head reduces control; too short and the head does the work alone.
Our axe range runs 600-1250 g with hickory or fibreglass handles, 280-900 mm, packed 12-24 per carton. OEM marking and printed cartons start at 500 pcs per model; mixed pallets across sizes are available.
A felling axe has a thinner, harder profile for cutting across the grain. A splitting axe has a wider, heavier head to wedge rounds apart along the grain.
A mid-size axe between a hatchet and a full felling axe: roughly 600-900 g head on a 600-700 mm handle. 'Boy's axe' is the older spelling.
A general-purpose axe around 800-1000 g with a 600-750 mm handle, used for limbing, clearing and light felling. It sits between a boys axe and a full felling axe.
Match the eye size and handle length, remove the old wedge, fit the new handle, then wedge and glue. Handle length is measured from the top of the eye to the end.
Common patterns are Michigan, Dayton, Jersey, Kentucky, Canadian and Scandinavian. The pattern changes the bit shape and balance, not the basic function.
