It was one of our first and most useful tools. Essentially, the design remains the same as when our ancestors first tied a sharpened stone to a stick with animal sinew or homemade twine. But since then, there have been innumerable attempts at perfectly balancing power, weight, and accuracy in the simple axe. Some were more successful than others. The smallest details can determine if an axe feels like a svelte extension of your body, or an awkward club.
Between the three of us who started this company, we’ve tried hundreds of axes; old, new, big and small. We’ve spent years breaking them down, fixing them up, modifying them out of curiosity, but always trying to figure out what makes the great ones great. A lot of knowledge has been lost, forgotten in time or simply left behind by modern industry. We are very proud to bring some of it back in a new line of axes for the modern woodsman. Try one and we think you’ll feel the difference right away.
The axe is as old as humanity.
The Perfect Steel: Finding the Sweet Spot
“What is the perfect axe steel?” Axes don’t get a lot of attention compared to many other outdoor tools, and there are only a handful of companies still making them in high quality. Finding the perfect steel is mainly about tradeoffs in hardness, durability, edge retention and ease of maintenance, i.e. finding a “sweet spot” for the most likely use of the axe.
Based on our comparative studies, we use a higher carbon steel than most modern axe makers because of its outstanding performance when forged by hand using traditional techniques. After months of testing by experienced users in the US, Canada and Australia, edge retention has been superb in a wide variety of woods; hard, soft, green and dry. At the same time, the steel is quite easy to sharpen and a joy to maintain. The results have been excellent and we are thrilled to offer a new premium axe steel to outdoor enthusiasts everywhere.
Superb Edge Retention
Handles: The Most Neglected Element of Axe Design
A great handle can make a big axe feel small, and a small axe chop big.
We design our axes to chop big, and the handle is easily as important as the head in determining axe performance. We incorporated into our handles the best design features we could find in hundreds of vintage axes spanning a century and a half. We found it impossible to find the same light, quick, thin handles of the past so we decided to make our own.
Because we make our own handles and haft them by hand, we can use curvier, more balanced designs for better swing performance. We don’t have to worry about the demands of hydraulic presses in mounting the head on the handle, which require thicker, straighter handles to work reliably. Made from hand-selected lumber in a variety of woods, our axes have just the right flex and a powerful ergonomic grip, without compromising the handle's strength.
We offer a Lifetime Warranty on all manufacturing defects.
Our axes are serial numbered and registered to each buyer. We want you to enjoy your purchase for years to come. If you have any issues with your axe, please contact us at support@lamacaaxes.com
It is critical, however, that the axe is used responsibly and within design guidelines.
Do not use the poll of the axe as a hammer or sledge. It is not designed to drive in metal stakes or wedges, or to be used as a wedge. This will ruin your axe.
Do not leave it out in the rain or submerged in water.
Do not hit rocks with it. Do not use the axe as a lever or pry bar.
Do not loan it to a buddy who is likely to do any of these things (because you know they will want to borrow it!)
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