A carving axe is nothing but an axe with some must-have features and benefits to make it suitable for carving jobs.
When I’m talking about a carving axe, I need to keep in mind that the axe should be perfect for slicing rather than splitting or chopping.
The axe needs to be compact, lightweight, and easy to grip and should not cause any fatigue for long use.
The blade shape of the axe needs to be supportive of carving as well. If the handle is shorter, then it’s better. Otherwise, it will tend to get in the way a little bit.
This is more or less the definition of a carving axe.