This axe would have been secured into a wooden handle using resin or animal glue and some string or strips of leather to bind it all tight.The antler haft into which the polished stone axe has been slotted acted as a sort of shock absorber. This cushioned the force of the blow and so helped to prevent the wooden handle from splitting. Stone axes were general purpose tools used in all aspects of woodworking, for tree felling and on garden plots.