Re-thinking the woodworking/fighting 'hawk

I don't mean to jump in here now and throw this discussion off in a different direction, and hopefully I'm not. I just want to let everyone see This Thread that is currently running over at the ATC forum. It is related in subject content and may be of some interest to some of you.

--The Raptor--
 
See RAPTOR's post and thread link.
The new ATC handle looks like the definitive answer to a number of gripes with the hickory handles that have been used for the last few hundred years. The only problem I see with it is that the checkered surface will be a problem with a smooth "slip" release if you're throwing the hawk.
However, they're building a special-purpose military weapon and it's not a good idea to toss your weapon to the enemy. The new handle should be a real help in retention. And the material selected is without a doubt far more durable than any kind of wood.
I would use the same type of handle on one or two of my special purpose models, except that I don't have a million dollar shop or ATC's financial backing to manufacture them. I will therefore have to continue to depend on hickory (with paracord wrap where applicable).
It should be interesting, though .... witness the ongoing controversy in muzzle-loader circles between the "new" inline models with scope sights and the "old" sidehammer percussions and flintlocks. I predict some fun in the future, and will quite happily sit back and watch as the 18th century and the 21st century get squashed into each other.
In the meantime, more power to Andy for coming up with a technologically advanced answer to one of the perennial aggravations with one type of military edged weapons.
TWO HAWKS
http://www.2hawks.net
 
Two Hawks :

It cuts wood (not as well as a logger-competition double bit axe).
Click to expand...

We were discussing tomahawks vs hatchets, a full size felling axe is a very different tool, which is completely optomized for one thing only. A hatchet has about a 1 lbs head, 3" face and a handle about a foot long. A felling axe will have a face from 2-3 times as wide, a head from 5-10 times the weight and a handle three times as long. The chopping ability of a full size felling axe as compared to a hatchet is night and day. You don't even swing them in a similar manner, nor do the edges have the same shape as the axe has to be able to compensate for the huge increase in impact energy. In regards to competition, no one uses a double bit axe for serious competition. The racing axes used in such competitions are even more focused in performance than a general felling axe, and are not suitable for general use as they don't have the necessary durability. It is again another example of a tradeoff, they have a much higher level of cutting ability than a felling axe, but a much lower durability.

-Cliff
 
Joe Talmadge (thread owner) said:
In thinking about why I personally would get a hawk, I am looking at it as a fighting tool that could also be called upon to do woodworking (although not as effectively as a purpose-designed woodworking tool, obviously). Notice I didn't say anything about being interested in throwing a hawk. For neither defensive nor woodworking application, am I interested in throwing my 'hawk.
Click to expand...

Joe-
Hawks fight, and hawks cut wood. They also perform a lot of other chores well.
That's one of the reasons that the old-timers carried tomahawks for over 200 years (another is that "hawks" in a myriad variety of shapes and edge grinds were what the traders usually made available to them, because that is what their white and Indian customers wanted).
If (your original question) holding on to the handle is a problem with slippery hands, use a grip wrap, roughen the handle, or get something with one of Andy's new checkered synthetic handles. If you're not throwing it, it doesn't need to be slick.

Now we're back on track.

TWO HAWKS
http://www.2hawks.net
 
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