Thread: Tuatahi axe project - small axe / hatchet for hunting, tramping, fishing etc

yeah, they do look a bit odd if the beard is really excessive, but I don't want that anyway. I don't think strength would be an issue though, there's still plenty of meat in it the way I want it. The really bearded axes have a very straight edge usually and are used for carpentry, hewing etc. For general purpose firewood processing and emergency shelter building, we're probably not cutting anything thicker than your arm. So a very big, heavy and strong axe head is overkill. Lightness and efficiency of chopping power are what we need IMO. After all, we're talking about an axe with a total weight around 1kg. If you want a real laser cutting chopper with a 1.5kg head just buy Tuatahi's new camp axe. I just think it's too heavy at just over 2kg for anyone that wants to carry it hunting, tramping etc. The best way to reduce weight while still maintaining decent cutting power is some kind of beard design, it's been a tried and tested axe shape for more than 1000 years