1. Axes: Axes were essential for felling trees, cutting firewood, and shaping logs for building and construction purposes.
2. Adzes: Adzes were similar to axes but had a blade at a right angle to the handle, allowing for more precise shaping and smoothing of wood.
3. Augers: Augers were used for boring holes in wood and were particularly important for mortise and tenon joinery.
4. Broadaxes: Broadaxes had wide blades and were used for hewing logs and creating flat surfaces.
5. Chisels: Chisels were employed for carving, mortising, and other detailed woodworking tasks.
6. Sickles: Sickles were long, curved blades attached to a wooden handle and used for harvesting grains and grasses.
7. Hoes: Hoes were used for breaking up soil, weeding, and making mounds for planting.
8. Scythes: Scythes consisted of a long, slightly curved blade attached to a long wooden handle and were used for cutting grass and hay.
9. Spades: Spades, similar to modern shovels, were used for digging and trenching.
10. Fire starters: These included flint and steel, tinderboxes, and matches.
11. Knives: Knives were multi-purpose tools used for cutting, slicing, and whittling.
12. Hammers: Hammers were used for driving nails and shaping metal.
13. Plows: Wooden plows, often pulled by oxen, were used for breaking up soil in preparation for planting.
14. Spinning wheels: These were used to spin thread and yarn from wool or other fibers.
15. Looms: Looms were used to weave the spun thread and yarn into cloth.
16. Fire tongs: These were used to handle hot coals and move objects in the fireplace.
These tools were often handmade by the settlers themselves, using materials available in their local environment. The simplicity and practicality of these tools reflected the daily tasks and challenges of life in a frontier region during the 1600s.
