What Is A Pick Axe Used For (5 Uses & FAQs)

Pickaxes are an essential tool if you work on dry land. You can often spot it with a farmer as well. But why is a pickaxe such a popular tool? What is a pickaxe used for? In this article, we answer all those questions for you!

Read below to know more:

What is a Pick Axe Used for – 5 Uses of Pickaxe

Pickaxe meaning is it is a tool with a pointed pick at one end and a blunt chisel on the other. The pickaxe head is normally made of solid metal, and the pickaxe handle is made of wood or fiberglass. Pickaxes are lightweight and easy to carry. You can use them for many purposes.

Therefore, we have given a list of 5 uses of pickaxe below:

1. Break Up of Soil

The most common use of a pickaxe would be breaking up hard soil. Typically, we use a shovel to dig the soil. But if the soil becomes extremely dry and hard, shovels will be of no use to break them apart. In this case, we use a pickaxe. They break hard soil smoothly with their sharp picks, and you’ll require no softening of the soil.

Moreover, pickaxes are also used if the soil is rocky or clay. Sometimes to get valuable rocks, pickaxe mining is also done.

2. Farming

Common pickaxe uses in agriculture are dragging large bulk of plant remnants or sacks of hay. Farmers also use it to lift items or inspect the soil around the plants. In addition, they also use this tool to edge their plants and remove any unwanted turf.

3. Root Removal

We use a felling axe to chop off trees and plants. But sometimes, if a plant is very mature, its roots go way down the soil, and you cannot pull it up with a regular axe or shovel. In this case, a pickaxe is used to loosen the soil around the plant. This makes it easier for the root to be pulled, and it comes off.

4. Use in Ice

A pickaxe is often used in frozen lakes to make holes during fishing. The axe breaks through the ice just like it does with soil, creating an opening. Moreover, hazards like slipping and gutter damage are created in places with extreme snowy conditions. A pickaxe comes as a very handy tool to remove all the snow in these circumstances.

Pathways blocked with snow can be cleared with a pickaxe. Also, they are scrapped with the axe into a smaller bunch to melt the snow faster.

4. Tile Breaking

Floor tiles of no use are often taken off with a pickaxe. It is much faster to remove tiles off the floor and requires less effort. You can also receive the tiles in smaller pieces.

FAQ

Is mattock vs pickaxe the same tool?

Although these two names are synonymous in today’s age, a mattock and a pickaxe differ in visuals. A mattock has a broad horizontal blade on one side and a pick on the other. In contrast, a pickaxe has a chisel and sharp pick. Mattocks are used for chopping and digging. On the other hand, you can break hard soil with a pickaxe.

Can a pickaxe break rock?

Yes, the pick part of a pickaxe can break rocks very well. That is one of the main things it is used for. In addition, you can also use the chisel part of the axe to pry apart rocks.

Should you sharpen a pickaxe?

Yes, a pickaxe needs sharpening from time to time to work efficiently. You can sharpen it with a grinding stone.

Can you break concrete with a pickaxe?

Yes, you can break concrete with this kind of axe. Hit it multiple times with force, and it should break.

Final Verdict

A pickaxe is used for multiple purposes. It is a handy tool for farming or if you’re living in snowy areas. Therefore, if you saw a pick axe anywhere and wondered what is a pickaxe used for, we hope this article answered all your curiosities!

Learn more:

Editorial Staff

Here’s all about our editorial staff. We have a team of 5 expert editors specializing in all kinds of tools. From their years of experience, they provide all kinds of solutions related to your tools. Our experts always try to find the most unsolvable tool-related issues and provide the most effective solutions. Also, we research the market and provide reviews on the best available tools after vigorous testing.