To sharpen an axe for cutting small trees, place the axe on a flat surface such as a table or stump. Use a clamp if you have one to keep the axe stable during sharpening. Clean the axe head and sides. File the axe edge working from left to right, matching of the bevel of the blade to avoid having to reshape the angle of the blade. Files sharpen blades when they are pushing, traveling in one direction. Work across one side of the blade until it is sharper, then turn over the axe, clean the file and repeat the process on the other side until the edge is sharp.