Don't buy these 'hawks.

T

the possum

Joined
Jul 31, 2002
Messages
2,954
I just got my new pipe tomohawk from Dixie Gun Works. http://www.dixiegunworks.com/produc...=1601&osCsid=3583326b3323889454cd23e530df638d

This is what They said about it:
"These pipe axes, however, are finely polished and finished with good, drilled hardwood handles. They are of above average quality, and the price is a little steep but you really get what you pay for."

This is what I say about it: It's a piece of crap. The head is a cheap casting that looks worse than most $6 Walmart hatchets. There are actually bubbles in the steel casting, one of which is directly on the edge, basically creating a 1mm deep notch. The "hardwood" handle is stained pine! Yes, pine. The worst feature is that the eye or socket for the handle is round and only about 1/2" in diameter. How long will a 1/2" diameter pine dowel rod last? Last night after regrinding it, (it comes completely unsharpened) I tried chopping a 2"x2" scrap of wood. Within about 10 swings, the head was already coming off, since the socket is not tapered, and they relied on glue to hold the head on.

The pipe, though small, smokes fairly well. (I've been a pipe smoker for several years now.) But, the vent hole was drilled pretty large, so you need a screen to keep bits of tobacco from clogging the hole. On the plus side, the edge is quite hard as I prefer, but considering the quality of the casting, I fear the damn thing will break one of these days.

I sure didn't get what I paid for. (it was about $40) If they think this is "above average quality", then I wouldn't buy anything else from them, either.
 
Dear Possum,
Welcome to the world of mass-market $40 (or less) tomahawks aimed at folks who maybe don't have access to better tools. The stuff from Dixie is actually a lot better than what you might get from other supposedly "reputable" mass-market knife sellers.
Castings aren't actually a bad source of materials for good hawk heads (or gun parts - see Remington, Winchester etc.) if you are VERY picky about the master head (proprietary), the foundry (old-line quality) and the specific alloy (custom for intended use).
I use custom investment castings in 6150 vanadium spring steel as materials for the premium working tomahawks I make. Handles are London oil gunstock finished premium American hickory.
The mass market folks use whatever they can get from Pakistan, usually spray paint them black, and stuff whatever fits into them as a handle.
Of course there is a price difference .... you get what you pay for.
Best regards,
TWO HAWKS
http://www.2hawks.net
 
Second time I used it. I was just chopping a 4" diameter sapling. I was trying to be very gentle with it, only taking half power swings, since I was afraid of that pine handle breaking. Instead, the friggin' head broke in half! What a piece of sh!t.

I knew when I bought it it would not be a high quality piece. I at least thought it would survive moderate use. (until I saw it, that is.) I've contacted Dixie about it, and am sending it back for a full refund. They better not give me any guff...:grumpy:
 
Hey Twohawks,
I would love to buy a good pipe hawk from a custom smith, and will someday. I recently discovered my wife spent us into some huge debt. I can't even pay my bills, much less drop $400 on a real hawk. I'd get a regular less expensive but serviceable hawk, but I want one I can smoke, too.
 
Dear Possum,
Welcome to the hassle. Hope they send you a new one and that it is better metal than the one that broke. Don't hold your breath as they all come out of the same bin.
I make high-quality working TOOLS from $100 to $250 (and some more expensive special order art hawks) but do not normally do any pipe hawks now. They require a bunch more time on both head and handle and I can't keep up with orders for the "regular" stuff (waiting list about a year right now).
For a REALLY nice traditional pipe hawk at about $350 contact Ryan Johnson at RMJ Forge (I would trust this guy to make the hawk to save my life and my wife and children ..... he does not make mistakes).
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
TWO HAWKS
http://www.2hawks.net
 
Cast hawks of any kind are not going to be durable enough to handle use in the field-no matter what ANYONE says! H & B Forge sells a cast steel and cast brass pipe hawk with a DRILLED CURLY MAPLE handle. It can be ordered as a kit which includes the head, the drilled handle and a mouthpiece for 48.50 for steel and 49.50 for brass. You can also order a finished one for 135.00 (steel) or 150.00 (brass). These have the heads polished, the bowl drilled, the handle sanded, stained and decorated. You can also order it with a beaded handle which is AWESOME! They are a beautiful piece and can be smoked, though NOT thrown. H & B also makes a handforged pipe hawk which is much more durable, though still not guaranteed for throwing. You can see all of the above at our website: http://www.hbforge.com
 
Not for nuthin, but I don't think pipe axes should really be used for chopping stuff. It's for smoking, not axeing... Can't you just buy a real axe for chopping?
 
Dear Mary Barber,
I have always acknowledged H&B as the best makers of forged hawks in the country. I also recognize the limitations of forgings as raw materials for precision hawk heads ..... they are ALWAYS irregular no matter how good the maker. The result is extra shop time and they will not work with precision grinding fixtures.
As to "poor quality" with castings .... people like Ruger, Remington, Winchester and Marlin depend on high-quality investment castings to make major firearms components. I also depend on high-quality investment castings in 6150 vanadium spring steel, from MY molds, made from MY master heads, as raw materials for making my hawk heads, which are durable tools intended for many generations of use in the field. These are NOT the Pakistani cast-iron junk you see in the mass market catalogs, or the spray-painted rough castings in 410SS sold by a lot of major outlets.
NEXT ITEM: SPECIAL TO MELANCHOLYMUTT:
Yes, there are hawks made for using. Pipe hawks are nice for smoking but are not very durable. I have a LOT of museum pictures in my reference library of pipe hawks that were pretty well destroyed in "hammer" use in the field. I also have representatives of beautiful engraved pipe hawks that were owned by officers, wealthy folks and others that did not have to use them as tools. Also have a lot of representatives of round-eye hawks with triangular eyes that will never be fitted to a handle again from use pounding stakes or as the receiving end of a hammer-wedge operation.
I make tools ..... and a lot of those are hammer-polled hawks intended to use in the field as both cutting and pounding tools just like the original quality TOOL hawks were made 150 years ago.
Best regards to all,
TWO HAWKS
http://www.2hawks.net
 
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