The Perfect Box Axe or machete.

[magick.crow]

I am a clueless newbie. With lots of questions and I am open to many opinions. I don't want to spend a lot but if putting up the cash results in a greatly superior tool that will last a lifetime then I can save up for a few years. I live in Germany which means shipping from the USA is often over 50 usd! Naturally I would rather spend that money on the tool. I am open to ebay and such. I would even be happy to use my meter long ash stick in the cellar to put a handle on it but new is good too!

I am new to bow making and made by first two kid bows out of hathorn with a scraper and a knife. It was a LOT of work.
So I just bought a very nice rasp.
12 inch g8. I hope it was a good choice.
http://www.forge-de-saint-juery.com/cabinet-makers-rasps/
I am planing on using a scraper for the fine work and maybe some file and sandpaper and a glass bottle to smooth out the back.

For the roughing out I read that an axe is a great tool or even a machete, Bowyer's bible. So, I went online to find a great axe and I found that not only do I have no clue which company to buy from I also don't have any idea what kind of axe to get! There are 100s of types! I had no clue that there were so many kinds of axes in the world.

Can you tell me about axes in relation to bows and what is good and why?

Forest Axes,
Splitting Axes,
Log-building Axes,
Double Bit Axes
Ancient Axes
Straight Adzes
Gutter Adzes
machete
Carving axes
flat bevel
even bevel
how heavy? I do a lot of desk work so I am no body builder.
the one at the bottom of this page?
http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/wood-craft-blog/2010/07/25/which-is-the-best-axe-for-carving-bushcraft-general-use/

thanks!

Douglas lost in the woods.

[TacticalFate]

I'm a fan of the Fiskars X7. Not too traditional , but razor sharp out of the plastic sheath and very comfortable to use.

[Blackcoyote]

a small hatchet and a Shinto rasp would be my recommendation.

[bowandarrow473]

I honestly just went to the local hardware store and picked up the best looking, toughest hatchet they had. Works well, the edge isn't the greatest in the world but it does a fine job of hacking through wood. I used to use a machete to rough my bows out but it seemed that it always got stuck in the cut it made. I'm 13 and can handle a 1.5 pound hatchet without issues so I would think that an adult could handle 2 or more pounds and still be able to chop precisely to get close to those lines.

[mikekeswick]

Gransfors Bruk  Small forest axe is one of the finest bow making tools you will ever buy. I have had mine for 4 years or so and it is a superb tool and will probably outlast me. Forget all the specialist axes as they are for specific jobs. The small forest will do everything you need when it comes to bow making and it will also work as a great general purpose axe. I have 4 Gransfors axes and the one which gets picked up 95% of the time is the Small Forest.....
People may advise you to look out for 2nd hand old tools but you may be looking for quite some time and then you will still have to refurb it and you don't know how it's been treated in the past other than what you can see and steels quality can't be judged from sight alone.
Your rasp is superb! I have three!

[mikekeswick]

I honestly just went to the local hardware store and picked up the best looking, toughest hatchet they had. Works well, the edge isn't the greatest in the world but it does a fine job of hacking through wood. I used to use a machete to rough my bows out but it seemed that it always got stuck in the cut it made. I'm 13 and can handle a 1.5 pound hatchet without issues so I would think that an adult could handle 2 or more pounds and still be able to chop precisely to get close to those lines.

Excess weight is a bad idea. It will certainly reduce your accuracy and not make the work any easier. The sharper your edge and how well it keeps that edge are absolutely key in my eyes. Your axe cannot be too sharp. 

[toomanyknots]

I use a hatchet for the first part of roughing out a stave, but then I switch to a meat cleaver. I really like a good heavy duty meat cleaver. I think it is easier to use, I don't get tired as soon, and I feel like I can be more accurate with it. I think it's a great bow making tool. And a rasp is essential, if you have a farmers kinda store like tractor supply  co or any store that has horse products you should be able to find a farriers rasp.