A tool with a secret: why they made a notch on old axes

Now you can hardly find them, but in your grandfather's shed you can still find an ax with an incomprehensible rectangular groove in the canvas under the beard. It would seem, what is it for? Could it be that this technological element was introduced into the structure of the ax for no reason? Not. They just do nothing with us. Read about the purpose of this notch below.

An ax in Russia is more than an ax!

The ax is a versatile tool. If necessary, he can replace the hammer, and the sledgehammer, and the knife, and the saw. With its help, you can not only cut, but also dig, as well as dismantle wooden structures. There are many functions, but one is clearly missing.

This is what Russian engineers drew attention to at the beginning of the 20th century. They developed a notch in the canvas, and another function was added to the ax - now it has become a nail puller. In modern terms, this is called an upgrade.

The slot in the ax blade under the beard is used to extract the nails. It works like this: the nail is first pushed off by the blade in the heel area and rises slightly from the body of the material; then the cap is captured by the slot and the nail is completely removed. The toe and cheek of the ax serve as an emphasis, and the handle as a lever.

Approved by Imperial Decree

The novelty came in handy for the military, who, during maneuvers and transitions, often had to erect and dismantle various engineering structures. According to the Imperial Order of the Military Department of March 29, 1906, the design of a small cavalry ax with a notch was approved.

This recess has lived for at least fifty years. It is known that a similar model of an ax was used in the sapper, engineering and mechanized units of the Red Army. It is not known for certain when it was taken out of production.

A tool with a secret

If you still have an ax of this design, you can use it as a nail picker. This is especially useful when dismantling old wooden buildings. With such a tool, you can work without using additional tools for extracting nails. This makes work easier and saves time.

Do you still use an old instrument? Write in the comments.

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