Yes, it’s a book about owning, using, and caring for an axe. But Buchanan-Smith’s Axe Handbook is more than that. As he says, it’s a love letter to his favorite tool. Reading him describe small axe work or the art of splitting, you start to long to hold this most ancient of tools in your hand. Tools are, after all, part of what makes us human.
Page through the book and you’ll get inspired to get out there with a length of wood affixed to a metal head so you too can fell, split, limb, and buck. Read it cover to cover and you’ll soon possess more history, lore, how-to, and practical knowledge about the humble axe than 95 percent of the population. You also won’t be able to stop yourself from heading outside and finding some wood that needs taming.
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