Zax (tool)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Zax (also Zex, Sax or Sect) is a hand tool for trimming/cutting, and also punching nail holes in, roofing slate.
A zax consists of a heavy rectangular knife blade with a large point, of square cross section, protruding from the poll (or butt). The blade edge is used to split slate, while the point is used to pierce square holes for mounting the slate on the roof (with square copper nails) or making a series of small holes marking a line where the slate is broken over a slater's iron. The tool is mounted to a laterally offset handle to protect the users hand from sharp slate chips.
It may also be noted that the word "Z-A-X" is the highest scoring three letter word in the popular board game of Scrabble.
