Interesting take on the Central/South American trade axe.

[FortyTwoBlades]

Can you clarify about the design of the axe and the "slip fit" handle? Is this trade axe made so that a handle can be easily knocked out and put back on - a pick axe design? It looks like there is no wedge to hold the handle on.

Yes. It slides on like a tomahawk or pickaxe handle. Rinaldi refers to it as a "passante" handle.

 

[Ugaldie]

FortyTwoBlades I have been informing, you can find this type of axe in the gulf of Biscay and with more profussion in the Basque region since, at least, the sixth century of our era. Here you have an example,

Looking at the transfer of cultures and technologies we have had in Europe through all the history , it would be a good idea to ask to your friend how much time has this type of axe been used in Italy. It seems there is a common type of basic blacksmithing process, with local preference of different patterns, to manufacture those tools.

Faiagoa, here you can see the fabrication process of one of this axes. You can see the eye profilment in 01:15 and beyond, look at how the the axe is hanged at the end of the video. He only pushes it trough the eye, security and maintenance advantages of it are obvious.

[video]https://youtu.be/Y8pAblkUWw8[/video]

 

[ICS]

Insipid Moniker, an axe doesn't have a mind of its own, irrespective of the balance, it will only go where you put it. In that regard, it is essential that we learn to chop properly and if we do, we can make an even less than perfect tool perform quite respectfully and I agree that we end up doing things instinctively. If I watch the video in this thread, I can tell the axe is very sharp, not by what I see in the cutting of the main length of wood, but by how it sounds when the smaller limbs are taken off. It is as sweet as a nut and has a nice ring to it, I certainly wouldn't mind having it in my kit.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Insipid Moniker, an axe doesn't have a mind of its own, irrespective of the balance, it will only go where you put it. In that regard, it is essential that we learn to chop properly and if we do, we can make an even less than perfect tool perform quite respectfully and I agree that we end up doing things instinctively. If I watch the video in this thread, I can tell the axe is very sharp, not by what I see in the cutting of the main length of wood, but by how it sounds when the smaller limbs are taken off. It is as sweet as a nut and has a nice ring to it, I certainly wouldn't mind having it in my kit.

I'm not sure, but there seems to be some disconnect between what I posted and your response. I agree that tools are not sapient, I was making a comparison between the hesitation some have with this axe and the hesitation that I've seen first-hand when someone uses a khukri for the first time. Those accustomed to Western blades are often worried that they'll end up striking with the tip of the blade due to the blade shape, but the balance of the khukri generally makes that fear pretty groundless.