I have just ‘refurbished’ my Dad’s old Stanley carpenters axe after it had a tussle with a nail, one of the perils of using recycled timber. I shortened the shaft on this axe a few years ago to make a handy pocket sized axe for carving with. I honed the blade on my old leather bass strap which has just the right texture to make a brilliant strop. When it’s sharp enough to shave with it’s sharp enough to cut wood.
