Adze

A hand woodworking tool used for smoothing rough-cut wood. Generally the user stands astride of the board or log and swings the adze downwards towards her feet, chipping off a piece of wood, and walking backwards as she goes, leaving a relatively smooth surface behind. However in general it can be used for various cutting operations.

Examples of adzes from the olden days of the Maori people of New Zealand, used in their Maori wood carving, exist that are made from nephrite, also known as jade. Jade and/or stone adzes from other cultures can be found in various studies and excavations of these cultures, tragically often the implements have been transported thousands of miles from their homeland, a legacy of colonialism and racism among other things.

More modern adzes are made from steel with wooden handles, and some people still use them extensively, probably those in semi-industrial areas, but particularly 'revivalists' such as exist at the Williamsburg cultural center in Virginia, USA. However adzes traditional purpose has largely been replaced by the sawmill and the power-planer at least in industrialized areas.