Hatchet

For other uses, see Hatchet (disambiguation).

A carpenter's hatchet

A hatchet (from the French hachette, a diminutive form of the French hache, 'axe') is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade used to cut and split wood. Hatchets may also be used for hewing when making flattened surfaces on logs; when the hatchet head is optimized for this purpose it is called a broadaxe.

Hatchets are taxonomically differentiated from hand axes by the addition of a hammer head and/or a head 1–3 pounds (500 to 1,500 grams) in weight.^{[citation needed]} However, to most of the world a hatchet and an axe tend to mean the same thing.

Hatchets have a variety of uses, such as tasks normally done by a pocket knife when one is not present. The hatchet can also be used to create a fire through sparks and friction. Hatchet throwing is increasing in popularity.

Brought to Canada by Acadian Frontiers Men, hatchets became a valuable tool for earlier pioneers. Matthew Guignard, termed the Hatchet, the Old Guinart as it became a necessity for everyday life.