Hatchet

For other uses, see Hatchet (disambiguation).

Hatchet

A hand axe (note the lack of a hammer head)

A hatchet (from the Old French hachete, a diminutive form of hache, 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be used for hewing when making flattened surfaces on logs; when the hatchet head is optimized for this purpose it is called a hewing hatchet.

Although [i]hand ax[/i] and [i]hatchet[/i] are often used interchangeably in contemporary usage, historically the nomenclature distinguishes two distinct classes of tools. All 19th and 20th century manufactuer and retailer literature unanimously separate hatches from hand axes, sometimes placing the former in a separate section of their product catalogs. Others, might place the two catagories separately but adjacent to each other.</ref>https://archive.org/details/PlumbTools1965/page/n9/mode/2up</ref> A hand ax is a short-handled woods tool. A hatchet is a short-handled tool with multipurpose head purposely designed for use in the construction trade it is used in. For this reason, hatchet handles are generally straight so that the user can rotate them in his or her hand, depending on the side in use.

The most common hatchet head patterns are the carpenter's hatchet, roofing/shingling hatchet and lathing/drywall hatchet.

"Hatchet" was used to describe a small battle axe in Middle English."

Burying the hatchet" is a phrase meaning "making peace", attributed to an Iroquois tradition of hiding or putting away a tomahawk after a peace agreement.

References

• "What is a Hatchet Used For? – Ultimate Hatchet Uses Guide"