billhook
Sign in to savethumb|Modern billhook with saw blade, used in bushcraft activities thumb|Traditional Devon pattern billhook made by W. Gilpin in 1918; original handle has been replaced. 12-inch/30 cm ruler shown for reference. A billhook or bill hook is a versatile cutting tool used widely in agriculture and forestry for cutting woody material such as shrubs, small trees and branches. It is distinct from the sickle. It was commonly used in Europe with an important variety of traditional local patterns. Elsewhere, it was also developed locally such as in the Indian subcontinent, or introduced regiona
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Design
- Styles
- Principles of design
- Northern, Midland and Welsh designs (UK)
- Southern designs (UK)
- Other hooks
- Modern usage
- Military use
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb|Modern billhook with saw blade, used in bushcraft activities thumb|Traditional Devon pattern billhook made by W. Gilpin in 1918; original handle has been replaced. 12-inch/30 cm ruler shown for reference. A billhook or bill hook is a versatile cutting tool used widely in agriculture and forestry for cutting woody material such as shrubs, small trees and branches. It is distinct from the sickle. It was commonly used in Europe with an important variety of traditional local patterns. Elsewhere, it was also developed locally such as in the Indian subcontinent, or introduced regionally as in the Americas, South Africa, and Oceania by European settlers.
== Design == thumb|upright|Page from the 1939 Nash–Fussells catalogue, showing a variety of types of bill hook with caulked handles The blade is usually made from a medium-carbon steel in varying weights and lengths, but typically long. Blades are straight near the handle but have an increasingly strong curve towards the end. The blade is generally sharpened only on the inside of the curve, but double-edged billhooks, or "broom hooks", also have a straight secondary edge on the back.