How to Axe a Tree

Caring for an axe will make it simpler to cut down a tree.

If you cut down a tree using an axe, you are engaging in a process almost as old as mankind. Primitive axes were some of the first tools stone age man used to cut down and shape trees. Now tools such as chainsaws make cutting down trees a simpler process but many farmers and woodsmen still use an axe to fell a tree, which is also a simple process.

Things You'll Need

• Stiff brush
• Liquid dish soap
• Bucket
• Sharpening stone
• 3 in 1 oil

Instructions

1. Examine your axe blade before felling a tree to ensure that it is clean and sharp. A clean, sharp blade will cut down a tree faster than a dirty, dull blade. Clean your axe blade using a scrub brush and soapy water in a bucket.

2. Sharpen the blade by drawing a whetstone down the blade's length.

3. Hold up your axe and align the axe handle with the trunk of the tree, to sight the straightness of the tree against the known straightness of the handle. If the tree leans, it will naturally want to fall in the direction that it leans. If the canopy is lopsided, the tree will tend to fall in the direction of the greater amount of canopy growth. You can control the direction that an upright tree falls in the way in which you cut it down.

4. Clear away any objects from beneath the tree to keep them from being crushed when the tree falls. Remove any obstacles that could trip you as you work. Plan an escape path that you can use to get away from the tree as it falls.

5. Cut a wedge-shaped opening into the side of the tree's trunk near the base of the tree with your axe. This wedge-shaped opening should be open at a 90 degree angle and should face the direction that you want the tree to fall. The opening should extend only 1/3 of the way through the tree.

6. Make an incision in the tree trunk on the opposite side of the tree with the axe. This incision should be slightly higher than the cut on the other side of the tree. It should extend 2/3 of the way through the tree trunk and should be located slightly higher on the trunk than the point of the wedge-shaped cut. The tree will tilt over on the wood between the two cuts and fall in the direction of the wedge cut.

7. Drop your axe and step away from the tree as it falls. Do not return to your axe or the tree for several minutes to allow all debris a chance to settle.

8. Clean your axe again with soap and water and oil it with 3-in-1 oil before storing it to prevent corrosion.

References

• University of Missouri Extension: Felling, Bucking and Limbing Trees
• The Farm: How to Sharpen Tools
• Scouts: Uses of Axes and Saws
• Science Daily: Giant Stone-Age Axes Found In African Lake Basin

Resources

• Troop 780: Knife, Axe and Bow Safety