• A modern goosewing axe whose handle is separated from the cutting surface by a shank and whose handle is curved away from its cutting surface.axe image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com
  
  Goosewing Broad Axes are named for the curved shape of the axe head, which resembles the wing of a goose in flight. The goosewings are a subcategory of broadhead axes, known as hewing axes used to flatten and plane felled trees. The design is German or Bavarian in origin and the axes were brought to America when the first European settlers arrived. Since there are rarely identifying marks stamped on the early axes, it is difficult to determine whether they are European or American made. It is known that the first American-made goosewing axes were found in Buck County, Pennsylvania.
  
  

Uniquely Shaped

• The goosewing is unique not only for its wing-like construction but also for its odd placement of the handle on a shank far from center, toward the rear of the blade, giving the user more articulation in his swing when planing round trees. The handle is shorter than most felling axes, which are used to chop down trees, because the arc of the user's swing wasn't as great and needed less force to plane the wood. The handle was tilted or swooped away from the flat plane axe because of the relatively close proximity and angle of the hands to the wood. The handle was designed to prevent the hands from being constantly scraped.
  
  

Collectible

• Like most things of antiquity, early axes are considered collectors' items. Although goosewing axes are still in production, those produced in early America are considered something of a rarity and valued accordingly.
  
  

Lefty-Righty

• To this day, goosewing axes are something of an oddity in a right-handed world. The goosewings were designed for both left-handed and right-handed users. This was accomplished in the earliest models by forging the handle right of the blade center for left-handed users and left of center for righties. The design was updated by fitting the handle it into a bent metal tube forged to the head bit. The lefty-righty concept was refined further in America by redesigning the axe to allow the head to be removed from the handle and reversed from side to side of the cutting head.