Ax, also spelled axe, is a cutting tool made up of an edged head attached to a handle. Some axes have double-edged heads. The head is steel or a steel alloy. The handle is hardwood or plastic and fits into a hole in the ax head called the eye. Axes have different shapes and sizes, depending on their uses. They include the firefighter's ax, used to fight fires; the logging ax, used to cut trees into logs; and the hatchet, a small ax used to drive roofing nails or trim tree branches. The battle-ax was a weapon of the Middle Ages.