Sentence:  Among other things he found a sharp hunting knife, on the keen blade of which he immediately proceeded to cut his finger. Undaunted he continued his experiments, finding that he could <WSD>hack</WSD> and hew splinters of wood from the table and chairs with this new toy. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To chop or cut down in a rough manner. (circa 12th c.)