the hemlock I was working with was fairly dry, hence the nails and glue....
What I meant by backwards broadaxing is this:
spin the handle 180deg and walk to the other side of the axe, keeping the flat back of the axe head against the wood(your hands are now above the blade, rather than below). In this way it's possible to do small bits of opposite hand hewing at the top of the timber, which is usually where you need it most. Having both right and left axes is a better situation.
