Axe today, they were once an integral part of a joiner and carpenter's tool kit, not just a tool for use in forestry. A tool of similar origin is the billhook. Most modern axes have steel heads and wooden handles, typically hickory in the US and ash in Europe and Asia, although plastic or fibreglass handles are also common. Modern axes are specialised by use, size and form. Hafted axes with short handles designed for use with one hand are often called hand axes but the term hand axe refers to axes without handles as well. Hatchets tend to be small
Staveley Mill Yard was built by the mill owners to regulate the flow of the river for the benefit of mills and other industries downstream. A large water wheel powered the line shafting (some of which can be seen upstairs in Wilf’s Café) and under the balcony can be seen where the water was drawn off above the weir and channelled along the race, through an archway into the building to power the wheel. In 1902 the water-wheel was replaced by a turbine. In the 20th century, The Staveley Wood Turning Co. Ltd. switched much of its production into tool handles and was