Easy fellas, no need to get riled up. We can discuss this politely, even when we disagree.
The problem I see here is that in order for us to communicate effectively, words must have meanings. If I say the words “low angle block plane”, a particular tool comes to your mind - something akin to the Stanley 60-1/2 or similar.
Now suppose Buck cuts a racetrack hole and some small radiused notches in their next batoning knife, and some marketing moron says, “Say, let’s call this the Low Angle Block Plane! Sounds kinda Old Timey and Nostalgic! Should be good for 25 points of market share!” (Ever notice how marketing morons use too many capitals and exclamation points?!!!!)
Anyway, if cooler heads fail to prevail, as they often do, the MMs will do the toolnut community a grave disservice by casting doubt on the long understood meaning of that tool’s name.
Don’t take me wrong here, I own and like and use Buck products. But calling a batoning knife a froe does not make it one, any more than adding a pair of boobs to a man wearing a skirt makes him a woman. Instead it contributes to confusion and uncertainty in our conversation (not a good thing). Buck (a good company IMO) has done a goofy thing naming this product. I hope they knock that shiite off. It’d be better to make up a nonsense name like “spudwacker” than to commandeer an unrelated word that already has a meaning, like “frisbee” or “fried chicken” or “flatulence”. Or “froe”.
The Japanese, to my knowledge, have never used the word “froe”. They don’t need to - they have their own name for their own tool, and when they say “nata” to each other they know what it means.
Like we know the meanings of our tool names (and much more about their history and usage, thanks to Bernie and guys like him). When you clicked on this thread, you figured hatchet to mean hatchet and tomahawk to mean tomahawk. Please let’s don’t wreck that by thinking “axe, adze, brushhook, chainsaw - they’re all the same”. They are not.
Parker
The problem I see here is that in order for us to communicate effectively, words must have meanings. If I say the words “low angle block plane”, a particular tool comes to your mind - something akin to the Stanley 60-1/2 or similar.
Now suppose Buck cuts a racetrack hole and some small radiused notches in their next batoning knife, and some marketing moron says, “Say, let’s call this the Low Angle Block Plane! Sounds kinda Old Timey and Nostalgic! Should be good for 25 points of market share!” (Ever notice how marketing morons use too many capitals and exclamation points?!!!!)
Anyway, if cooler heads fail to prevail, as they often do, the MMs will do the toolnut community a grave disservice by casting doubt on the long understood meaning of that tool’s name.
Don’t take me wrong here, I own and like and use Buck products. But calling a batoning knife a froe does not make it one, any more than adding a pair of boobs to a man wearing a skirt makes him a woman. Instead it contributes to confusion and uncertainty in our conversation (not a good thing). Buck (a good company IMO) has done a goofy thing naming this product. I hope they knock that shiite off. It’d be better to make up a nonsense name like “spudwacker” than to commandeer an unrelated word that already has a meaning, like “frisbee” or “fried chicken” or “flatulence”. Or “froe”.
The Japanese, to my knowledge, have never used the word “froe”. They don’t need to - they have their own name for their own tool, and when they say “nata” to each other they know what it means.
Like we know the meanings of our tool names (and much more about their history and usage, thanks to Bernie and guys like him). When you clicked on this thread, you figured hatchet to mean hatchet and tomahawk to mean tomahawk. Please let’s don’t wreck that by thinking “axe, adze, brushhook, chainsaw - they’re all the same”. They are not.
Parker
For a 19" handle my first pick would be a Hudson Bay profile and after that a hatchet. Generally an axe poll will do all that is needed in the woods. I prefer the Hudson Bay or Hatchet because you have the flat cheeks for shaving and shaping and still a wide eye for splitting. On a larger axe you want high centerline cheeks to prevent sticking. A Faller's Axe can do a lot of work without being too long to use for smaller chores.