Adzes

An adze is a cutting tool similar to an axe but with the blade set at right angles to the handle. The edge faces the side, not the end, so the tool planes and shaves wood by drawing the blade across the surface rather than chopping at the end. This orientation makes adzes well suited for smoothing, shaping, and hollowing wood surfaces.

Adzes have a long history, with earliest forms including ground stone and later metal versions. Stone adzes were hafted into wooden handles, and metallurgical adzes were produced in copper, bronze, iron, and steel as technology advanced. The basic design remains recognizable across cultures, although individual shapes and bevels vary.

There are several common types and uses. Broad adzes are used for rapid stock removal and plane-wide surfaces on large timbers. Bowl or hollowing adzes are specialized for shaping concave forms such as bowls or canoes. Other variants are adapted to specific crafts or cultural practices, including timber framing, boat building, and furniture making. The blade may be single-beveled or double-beveled, and blades can be wood, stone, or metal, often hafted into a wooden handle.

Geographically, adzes have been widely used in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. In many areas they played a central role in woodworking traditions, including canoe construction in the Pacific and large-scale timber work in galleries and houses. In some cultures decorative or symbolic elements accompany the blade or haft.

In modern craft, adzes are still used by woodworkers and in traditional construction. Modern adzes typically use steel blades that are hardened and sharpened, and maintenance emphasizes edge care, proper sharpening, and secure hafting.