Maine Axe and Saw Meetup, hands-on workshops, $5/day, free for children. MOFGA Common Ground Education Center, Unity. mofga.org. 568-4142. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Aug. 21.

“Latch onto tools from the past and the present that will help us shape our future.” So says a press release from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association promoting next week’s Maine Axe and Saw Meetup in Unity. The event celebrates Maine’s wood-harvesting heritage.

Over the two-day meetup, participants will have opportunities to learn from tool collectors and historians, as well as to expand their own tool collections. A number of hands-on workshops allow participants to work with and gain confidence using both vintage and modern hand tools – think hewing axes, splitting mauls and two-man crosscut saws. Attendees are encouraged to bring a few of their own tools that require attention, perhaps a new handle or a sharper edge. “Please choose tools that reflect the scope of this meetup, i.e., hand tools associated with woodlot activities, and keep sharp edges covered,” event organizers ask.

If you are more of a listener than a doer, or you are a doer whose arm got tired, attend the keynote speech on “The American Axe – Its History, Construction and Use.”