why so any names??

[JDeGraff89]

So... my question is why does there seem to be an abundance of nomanclature? Axe, hatchet, tomohawk... ect an axe is large heads over 2 lbs. A hatchet is smaller.. but now what is a tomahawk? I thought it was just a weaponized hatchet.. then there's a bag axe... what is that just an axe head on a hatchet sized handle?

 

[DarthTaco123]

Most I think are regional terms for the same or similar things.

 

[The Gopher]

i always associated a tomahawk with the way the handle fits into the head.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

i always associated a tomahawk with the way the handle fits into the head.

Axes in Italy, France, and Central/South America commonly use a slip-fit handle.

 

[Remzy]

Why so many names? because civilized humans want to know what the heck you are talking about when refering to a specific object!

 

[cityofthesouth]

Same reason there are so many knives. Very common tool for a variety of tasks, some very specific, others more general.

 

[300Six]

It only becomes complicated if you collect these or are a museum type. Hatchet is essentially a one-handed chopper whereas axe is a two-handed implement. How heavy the head/long the handle becomes is nobody's business after it leaves the factory. When an axe is beefed up at the bit and features a hardened hammer-type poll it becomes a maul.
My pet peeve is 'rafting axe' which was a unique axe with a hardened poll for driving pegs and spikes, but whose manufacture fell into disuse 60-100 years ago and (my educated guess) ultimately guided the evolution of what are currently called splitting 'mauls'.