Extended Tang aka "Hammer Pommel"

Andrew Lynch

Andrew Lynch

Joined
Feb 6, 2000
Messages
3,021
These are very popular these days. Am I the only one who doesn't understand these things?

Their supposed hammering qualities are very questionable. First off, if you're driving a tent stake or something and you don't hit it perfectly then you're hand is screwed. Even if you do hit it perfectly, it doesn't distribute the force well and splinters the stake. Second, apart from the safety issue, it's not the best place on a knife to hammer with IMHO. I have much better control with the spine or face of the blade when hammering.

Another problem (often) with extended tangs is that they often also form a rear guard of a blade. This is fine unless you're chopping. When chopping, the rear guard doesn't spread the load like the full thickness of a handle and thus you're hand is once again in pain.

So, why do they exist? (I'm not being sarcastic; with so many respected makers using them I'm sure there are reasons)


I've also posted this in the shop talk forum to get more makers' perspectives.
 
i always felt that these are for hammering on so you can use the knife ala mors kochanski to drop a tree by hammering the knife into the tree over and over all around the tree to cut it down.

alex
 
I have tried using a baton to hammer a blade into trees to fell them. It worked decently well, although it definitely had its faults. I always hammered on the spine, however. I don't see how you could hammer on the pommel. Are you driving the knife into the tree tip first?
 
I agree with you on the faults of the extended tang for that type of hammering. However, they do work great for combat oriented hammering ie:upside someone's head:D I have had customers request them for chipping ice and for that utility reason they have worked. Personally I'd rather find a rock than abuse my knife by driving nails or tent stakes. Plus if you miss the nail/stake and overextend you could draw the blade across the hand or arm holding that nail/stake.
 
mors kochansi talks about cutting down trees by hammering the blade in tip first and then moving around the trunk repeatedly driving the knife into the tree untill you cut down the tree.

alex
 
As a hammer it is a great way to beat up your hand, it mainly serves as something to take the brunt of being hammered on to drive the point into a hard material. That way of tree felling is one, it should only be used when the knife is so small that regular batoning isn't practical. It is an emergency technique only, if you have to do it even once, you would have been better off carrying a longer knife.

The other point that can be made is that is can be hardened differently than the rest of the blade. While some knife can be hammered with the spine, some can not. For example a spine left dead soft makes a poor hammer as it gets chewed up too easily. Some of the not so tough steels also don't react well to hammering when the blade is left full hard.

Having a hammer pommel allows the maker to heat treat the blade as they want for strength or ductility or whatever without the constraint of being able to take a hard hammer impact.

Of course it doesn't need to be a part of the grip, it can be completely enclosed by the rest of the handle, like on Fallkniven blades. There it is simply an additional element which you may find functional or not - but isn't a hinderance in any case.

-Cliff
 
I see the hammer pommel simply as a durability feature more than anything else. Having a bit of the tang stick out past the scales is a great way to protect the end of the handle. Sheathed or not, that end of a knife is invariably gonna take abuse when you use it hard, drop it, toss it around, etc. Like the metal plate at the end of a khukri, you could use it as a hammer or pound on it if you really wanted to, but for me it's there just to make the overall knife more durable. However you want to use it is purely up to your imagination :D .
 
Perhaps "hammer" is a bad choice of words. I use it frequently to drive the point of the knife into something. Like to cut a hole in a 55 gallon drum, punch a hole in the side of a vehicle, cut thru a wall or whatever. If the extended tang were not there, you would break the handle.

Further, sometimes I do strike something with the extended tang, like smacking a stuck lock. You can get a large amount of force and direct it to a small spot. But never try to hit a small object like a nail. You will eventually miss and drive the nail into your hand.

Yes, you could use a rock, providing you could find one, and if it had a nice handle so you would not hurt your hand. Perhaps this extended tang is not useful to everyone, but I would not have a "Every Day Carry" sheath knife without one. Personal preference I guess....

Nomads-notebook.

www.nomads-notebook.com
 
I use mine to make tinder. I place a small branch or stick on a rock and crush it with the pommel. This exposes the dry wood inside and makes a FLUFFY tinder. I find it a bit easier than finding just the right rock.
 
The hammer pommel serves to protect the handle. It is not intended as a replacement for a standard hammer, but it does come in useful for the thousands of little hammering tasks that would otherwise slowly destroy the handle.
 
depends on the pommel - is it a simple extension of the tang? In that case, it's probably too thin to effectively hammer with 'cause you're gonna be too worried about hitting your hand. If it's like the pommel on a Chris Reeve integral... well, my avaitor and my 9" tanto show more wear on the pommel than on the blades from hammerin' in tentstakes, bearwire stakes (no, I didn't tie it off to the tree!) and I even hammered in an old piton to see if it worked!:D It did, and it also left the biggest dings - apparently aluminium isn't as hard as steel?!?! LOL!!!:eek: :D I also find the pommels of the older Marbles knives and Ka-Bars to be more effective than several hammer pommels I've seen lately...
Just depends on how accurate you are hammerin'.. Don't Miss!!!;)
 
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