Adze

The Adze is a tool which is swung about a pivot point when used, and has two key angles, α and β.

	α is the effective angle at the cutting edge. The inside and outside edges will probably be cleaned up and polished; however this is the effective angle between those edges. When resharpening, try to to not change the β angle Only resharpen the tool on the inside edge (the upper part in the picture to the left), and Hone/strop both the inside and outside edges.
β is the angle between the handle and the cutting edge. As the adze is a tool which is swung about some pivot point, this angle has a great impact on the usability of the tool. If β is too small, the area behind the cutting edge will impact the wood before the cutting edge. If β is too large, then the cutting edge will dig into the wood. The angle needed for β is out of scope of the Sharpening Handbook, however, there are articles below which address how this can be determined, and how to set it.

Notes & Comments

When resharpening, it is best to only work on the inside part of the bevel. Modifications to the outside part of the bevel (the back bevel) could adjust the β angle, also known as the “hang” of the adze.

Having a bevel on the outside of the tool allows it to be better used for shallow scalloping work. The article by Dave Fisher in “Fine Woodworking” magazine shows this well.

• This back bevel should be around 2°, and certainly not exceed 5°.
• It is usually a convex edge (vs. flat or concave). Once this is set, it is best to not modify the outside edge.

To sharpen a lipped adze (also known as a shipwright's adze, and used for cutting across the grain), see the instructions in The Complete Guide to Sharpening by Leonard Lee. The recommended α angles follow those noted above; however the directions are a bit difficult to describe.

More Information

Books & Papers

• The Complete Guide to Sharpening by Leonard Lee

Published Articles

• Nic Westerman of Hewn & Hone wrote a great series about the adze which was published in “Wood Carving” magazine. It was published in 3 parts. (Here is a link to Nic's Instagram page)
• Part 1 - Issue 190, page 60. This addresses the β angle and why it matters.
• Part 2 - Issue 191, page 70. This also addresses the β angle, and how to adjust it.
• Part 3 - Issue 192, page 60. This addresses the α angle and a few other points.


• Dave Fisher wrote an article for Fine Woodworking where he overviews how to tune-up an adze. The web link excerpted here was part of the article where he discussed what to look for when purchasing an Adze. “Fine Woodworking” magazine, issue 285, Nov/Dec 2020, pg. 24

  Note: Dave was not merely resharpening the tool; rather he had to do some fairly significant reshaping to the tool's cutting edge. If you do such do such modifications to a tool, be sure to manage the heat so that you don't lose the temper in the metal.