Felling axe vs chopping axe can be a tricky duel while deciding which one to use for a particular job and which one will be more efficient. Despite having some similar external structure, a felling axe and a chopping axe have their own set of specialties which makes them ideal for certain kinds of woodwork.
Felling Axe
Felling axe, as the name suggests, specializes in cutting down trees. The mechanism of felling trees with this axe involves the blade of the head making deep cuts into the tree and most importantly across the wood grain. Its head has a blade that is sharp enough to sink deep inside the trunk with every stroke.
You may also like to read – best felling axe.
Chopping Axe
A chopping axe, on the other hand, is used to chop or split woods. Chopping or splitting wood basically means splitting it along with the wood grain. That’s why the chopping axe does not make deep cuts into the grain instead, it tries to split the grain and ultimately split the wood into two smaller pieces.
The Differences
Differentiating between a felling axe and a chopping axe is done based on some criteria. These criteria include everything from build design to the mechanism of the axes while felling trees or chopping wood.
Weight
The overall weight of a felling axe is around the 4.5 lbs to 6.5 lbs range. But a chopping axe weighs in from around 5 lbs to as high as 7lbs in some axes overall.
When it comes to weight distribution, the head of a felling axe normally takes in 3 lbs to 4.5 pounds of the total weight. In the case of chopping axes, the head weighs in around 3.5 lbs to 4.5 lbs.
Advantages Due to Variation in Weight
The felling axe benefits greatly from the comparatively lower weight than that of the chopping axe for cutting trees. Because cutting trees require somewhat horizontal strokes. Having a heavy axe makes the job difficult for the user.
However, the chopping axe’s weight allows the axe to push and split the wood grains apart. That’s why it needs more force and the extra weight gives the axe that advantage.
Length
Felling axes generally come with a handle that could fit anywhere within the range of 28 inches to 36 inches when it comes to their length. Most chopping axes’ handle are 30inches to 36 inches long.
The Handle
The handle of a chopping axe is straight in most cases because most of the working is done using the kinetic energy by lifting the axe up. But there is a bit of curve to the handle of a felling axe for better grip while stroking a tree.
Heads of The Axes
The Head of a felling axe has a sharper blade than that of a chopping axe. The chopping axes’ blade is a bit blunt compared to the former axe.
The cheeks of the chopping axe are wide. But the felling axe has got thin cheeks. The butt of the chopping axe is broad and as a result, they have a wedge-shaped head. However, felling axes don’t have a broad butt and their head are not wedge-shaped.
The Benefit of Different Type of Head
The head of a felling axe is made for penetrating the trunk across the wood grain. Hence, the sharper blade. But a chopping axe’s head is used to split into pieces that do not require much penetration. The wedge shape helps to push the grains apart and split in the middle.
Final Verdict
While picking a perfect axe for felling trees or chopping woods, both types of axes are winners in this felling axe vs chopping axe duel. Their weight, length, and all other attributes are designed for different tasks.
Felling trees and chopping woods with axe have two different mechanisms behind them. The felling axe is perfect for cutting down trees while the chopping axe excels at chopping woods.
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