Balance, what is it? Why does it matter?

I'mSoSharp

I'mSoSharp

Joined
Mar 8, 2011
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Axes, Hatchets & Hammers are often described as having good (sometimes bad) balance.
As the title asks what is it, how do you measure it & why does it matter? I'm interested to hear what your thoughts are on this often used term, a search didn't turn up very much in the way of a description of it.

I have my own thoughts that I'll keep to myself at the moment, but just to be "Devils advocate", an Axe, Hatchet or Hammer is a lump of metal on a stick, how can it have "balance"?
 
I'mSoSharp said:
Axes, Hatchets & Hammers are often described as having good (sometimes bad) balance.
As the title asks what is it, how do you measure it & why does it matter? I'm interested to hear what your thoughts are on this often used term, a search didn't turn up very much in the way of a description of it.

I have my own thoughts that I'll keep to myself at the moment, but just to be "Devils advocate", an Axe, Hatchet or Hammer is a lump of metal on a stick, how can it have "balance"?
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I actually have a pretty comprehensive exploration of the topic in a blog post here. Essentially, think of such a tool as being like a wheel on an axle, and think of how an out-of-balance wheel wants to move around in an unpleasant manner. A balanced tool will inherently be easier and more comfortable to use, and as a general rule with good handle design, you want the main grippable length of the handle to be pointing straight through the center of gravity.

When used one-handed there's essentially a self-balancing property that occurs, but when two hands are thrown into the mix it can cause an axe or other tool that's unbalanced to want to flop around. This is mostly important when making horizontal strokes with the tool since vertical blows are going to be aligning with the ground anyhow, but there are also some more minor effects that can come into play at the moment of impact that the center of gravity will have influence on.
 
First, I think people throw out the phrase, "it has great balance" just because they want to justify their recent purchase. In reality they have no concept of what good balance in an axe is. When they say, "it has great balance" simply ask them "what does that mean?" Then they'll start doing somersaults and get all hostile because they have no answer.

42 has a good description of balance. We had some very lengthy discussions on the topic a few years back.
 
The great thing is that once you understand the dynamics and how they work it's something you can check or assess with a given axe or other swung tool in a matter of seconds.
 
I'mSoSharp said:
Axe, Hatchet or Hammer is a lump of metal on a stick, how can it have "balance"?
Click to expand...

Everything can have "balance":)

What balance implies i think is balance Point,some point where mass or force is equal.

A lump of metal on a stick,accelerated and impacting something creates Action,to which there must be a reaction-on the other end of that stick,right?
Well,somewhere right in between them is that spot where that point of balance is(POB i think,in legit engineering terms).

The lump of metal exerts force that see-saws around that point and refracted equally at your hold on it.
That proportion of these three points,lump*-POB-hand,is where much difference in handling may occur.
(to put it in real scientific terms if you screw up and build or re-handle something badly it'll "dry" your hand,kick back maybe not like a mule,but a good shot of 220v :))

But there's another sort of balance,in a different plane.When axe head is flat and horizontal,if it's blade-, or poll-heavy,relative axis of the handle.
You can take an axe and check that;i've checked lots of my heads,and they all seem to have it about 1/4" in from front of eye...(no idea if it's a good or an evil portent) .


* Under "lump" i mean the center of mass,which in an actual hung axe is often located outside the axe...But it's there-it's Real! don't ask me how or why :)
 
Some really good answers. :thumbsup:

FortyTwoBlades said:
A balanced tool will inherently be easier and more comfortable to use, and as a general rule with good handle design, you want the main grippable length of the handle to be pointing straight through the center of gravity.
Click to expand...

I pretty much agree with you here, but I think the usual thrown out line "it's got nice balance" isn't usually about balance in that axis even though that axis is where balance in it's true meaning is easiest to measure, I think folks are talking about balance along the tools length, you might even see someone "air' chopping or hammering as they say it!

Square_peg said:
I think people throw out the phrase, "it has great balance" just because they want to justify their recent purchase. In reality they have no concept of what good balance in an axe is.
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And this I think is where "ergonomics" should be used in place of "balance" ?

OnceBitten said:
I thought this was gonna be a work/life thing....
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Haha, I'm more than happy to hear thoughts on this as well...... ;)

garry3 said:
It's simply the ease in which a tool strikes true and square. It changes with how the tool is designed to be used.
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Ergonomics as well ?

jake pogg said:
A lump of metal on a stick,accelerated and impacting something creates Action,to which there must be a reaction-on the other end of that stick,right?
Well,somewhere right in between them is that spot where that point of balance is(POB i think,in legit engineering terms).
Click to expand...

Does that mean that changing the shape of the cutting edge on an axe or the face of a hammer so it contacts what's being chopped or hit differently changes it's "balance"?
 
I'mSoSharp said:
Does that mean that changing the shape of the cutting edge on an axe or the face of a hammer so it contacts what's being chopped or hit differently changes it's "balance"?
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Hypothetically,at least,yes,by moving the point of Percussion(POP:) relative to POB and the rest of equation.
 
I'mSoSharp said:
I pretty much agree with you here, but I think the usual thrown out line "it's got nice balance" isn't usually about balance in that axis even though that axis is where balance in it's true meaning is easiest to measure, I think folks are talking about balance along the tools length, you might even see someone "air' chopping or hammering as they say it!
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While the wielder may not be consciously aware of it, this kind of balance does improve the overall ease and comfort of handling, and so contributes towards the piece "feeling nice". But arguably, like Square_Peg mentioned, a lot of the time people spout it off simply as a way of saying "I like it" in a way that makes it seem like they have a dang clue about what they're talking about. :D :D :D
 
I wish I had a time machine and could take this thread back with me.
It's a lack of understanding. Some of which is because folks were not exposed to the nomenclature, so don't understand what is meant, they think they can measure it or weigh it.
You got to use it.
 
So, I think we can all agree that along an Axe's axis that runs in the same direction as the handle & through the head we can talk about balance that rotates round this.

But, in the direction of use "feel" or "ergonomics" is really the thing that people mean (& maybe the term they should use?) when they speak of "balance"?

Or not? ;)
 
I'mSoSharp said:
So, I think we can all agree that along an Axe's axis that runs in the same direction as the handle & through the head we can talk about balance that rotates round this.

But, in the direction of use "feel" or "ergonomics" is really the thing that people mean (& maybe the term they should use?) when they speak of "balance"?

Or not? ;)
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Depends on the specific statement and axe in question, eh? The balance will effect the handling characteristics, and may make the tool feel more or less accurate in the hand, and any energy that must be expended in keeping the axe in its intended orientation, however so slight, does require both physical effort and mental attention that can get either tiring or frustrating over time, so it can effect the ergonomics. But largely in modern usage most people are conflating the word with something else, and usually is just a way of saying "it feels nice". There's a lot of folks out there who are very good at swinging an axe, even, but would be hard pressed to describe what they like about their favorite axes in technical terms because they're intuitive people rather than having a strong theoretical understanding of the tool. Most people really don't need it because that's something for tool designers to worry more about.
 
I'mSoSharp said:
;)
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Is that supposed to mean something? I don't follow. :confused: Pretty sure I've been absolutely translucent about what it is, how to measure it, and why it matters. But when other people talk about "balance", what they mean by it, and whether or not their usage is appropriate, is going to depend heavily on context. They might be using the term to talk about things that are really qualities resulting from the balance that can be felt and intuited, or they may legitimately be talking about the actual balance. Without a specific statement from a specific person with a specific axe and other associated context...there's no way to judge.
 
I agree with you FortyTwoBlades FortyTwoBlades about the relatively easily measured balance of how a head twists around it's axis lengthwise. Or is that the balance folks speak of?

But in the direction of work nobody has said how it's measured, I'm not talking about a head twisting, I'm talking about the other axis (lump on a stick) & I assume that's what most folks are. Balance is something that can be quantified, it's objective, it should be able to be explained (as you have along one axis), on the other hand "feel" or again "ergonomics" is personal, it's difficult to measure, its subjective & that's what I think folks really mean when they swing an axe & state "nice balance", what they mean is " this feels good to me".

Or am I misunderstanding what people are measuring in their heads when they swing a tool & make that statement, or being pedantic about the term being balance instead of feel?
Not intending to cause any upset or offence here just discussing a well used term.
 
Yeah I think we already addressed that. :) Common usage is mostly as a stand-in for "it feels good" that makes the user sound like they're a qualified judge of such a thing. Rotation of the head is something that a user will at least subconsciously be able to feel to some degree and may factor into them saying it, but the other aspects of mass distribution are also equally as likely to be remarked upon. Generally, most people have little clue what they're talking about other than simple expressions of pleasure or displeasure with their experience in holding and using the tool, often colored heavily by inexperience. But the better the head a person has for the technical side of things and/or how much real-world expertise they have in the wielding of said tool, the more likely they are to actually have a better understanding of it. (y)
 
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