helves

Wooden tool handles

Helves is the plural of helve, the handle of an axe, hatchet, or similar tool.

The word appears most often in contexts of tool-making or repair: He fitted new helves to the old axe heads.

Like many words for traditional hand-tool parts, helve has grown uncommon outside specialized use.

toolhandles

haft

Tool's grip portion

  • shaftNarrow vertical passage
  • gripSecure manual hold
  • stockGoods kept for sale

tang · ferrule · shank · sledgehammer · pickaxe · axe · adze · mattock · mallet · hoe

woodcraft

hickory

Dense North American hardwood

  • ashCombustion's powdery remains
  • carpentryWood construction trade
  • shapingGiving something its form

fitting · wedge · socket · eye · grain · seasoned · turned · carved · whittled · sanded

labor

swinging

Moving in arcs

leverage · toil · sweat · calluses · exertion · strength · endurance · woodcutter · lumberjack · farmhand

Opposites
tool component

helvesheads

Top of bodies

blades · axe heads · cutting edges · bits · polls

Family

helve

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G