The adze (also spelt adz) is a wood cutting tool dating back to the Stone Age. With its broad and rectangular head, its appearance is largely axe-like. The head of the adze, however, is attached at a right angle to the handle, like that of a hoe.

What is it used for?

The adze is a versatile tool, with numerous variations of different weights, sizes, and blade shape. Different types of adze are have been specifically designed with certain tasks in mind, but generally speaking, the purpose of the adze is to shave slithers from the wood’s surface, rather than chopping out sections. It can be used for hollowing curves, or for shaping and smoothing flat pieces.

The history of the adze is long and geographically far-reaching; it’s actually one of the earliest-dated tools in archaeological record. Examples of the adze dating back to the Stone Age have been discovered across Europe, and there’s evidence of it having also been used by the Maori tribes of Australia and the native people of the Northwest American coast. Depictions of the adze have even been found in Ancient Egyptian Art, from the Old Kingdom onward. [Read more…] about The Adze Tool: History, Safety, and Technique

Not sure if many of you have given power carving a hand, but my god. The possibilities are insane.

During a time, I was pretty apprehensive about giving power carving a try, mainly due to costs, and hauling off bigger pieces of wood. I feel like a lot of people associate wood carving exclusively with hand tools, and it’s true that there’s a certain feel to working so directly with the wood that a power tool just can’t replicate. Some projects and some tasks hand tools are better for, but that doesn’t mean that power carving tools doesn’t have a place in a workshop. [Read more…] about Power Carving Introduction: What To Expect