A razor sharp knife will get you a few stitches. An ax or hatchet sharpened similarly may get you an amputation if you miss. It's like the first time I used one of the short handled 4lb sledgehammers. I ended up with barked knuckles and was wondering if I'd managed to break a couple of fingers. Using either a claw hammer or 12lb sledge probably would have had a better result. The claw hammer would have taken longer. The full size sledge would have been quicker and kept fingers out of the way.