Hatchet as Knife

H

hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
13,182
You know we talk a lot about using knives for spltting wood and chopping and stuff, things you might use a hatchet for.:thumbup:


But I was rooting around in my upstairs last night and whipped out my GB mini and choked up on it and took it out this morning and whittled some stuff with it and it gave me pause for thought.

Maybe we should consider a hatchet that we use for knife work?:confused:

I'm gonna try to do some knife stuff with it and take some pics either this week or weekend, but choking up on the mini and using it I feel like it might at least cover the knife use stuff as well as a knife covers the hatchet use stuff;)
 
I just commissioned a hawk made and one of the draws of the hawk is being able to un haft it for using the head alone. Sort of an ulu at that point.

2Door
 
Just as a knife can be pushed into use as a clumsy axe (not recommended, but doable in a jam), I would argue a sharp-bit axe could be used for a lot of knife work (especially, and perhaps limited to, use on wood).

Carpenter axes are based on this idea as well: that an axe with a sharp bit can whittle, shave, plane (if the bit is straight), and adze bark off wood.
 
I recently got a GB wildlife hatchet, shaving sharp out of the box, and certainly up for a LOT of knife work when choked up on the handle.

I also have a small Smith and Wesson, probably Chinese, SS hatchet, that's shaped like an Ulu and designed for using like a knife when held up close to the head, works pretty good unless you want to stab something.
 
I have been practicing this technique for a couple months now. It's hard to get the knack of at first, but there's a lot you can do with a hatchet.
 
The late Two Hawks (Robert Thalmann) was a big believer in the tomahawk as an all-purpose tool, to be used like a hawk and as a knife. He skinned and cleaned many a deer with his, as well as using it for more menial chores around camp that would require a knife.

This japanese finishing hatchet looks like it would lend itself to use as a knife, as well. Sounds like that is almost its intended purpose.

Good thread, hollowdweller! I'll be anxious to see what comes of it. :thumbup:

Edited: now that I think about it, there was even a thread a while back where the author re-ground a VTAC with a more narrow bit to make it more suitable for woodwork. He also used it around the kitchen, showing pics of him dicing all manner of vegetable with it!
 
FSCJedi said:
The late Two Hawks (Robert Thalmann) was a big believer in the tomahawk as an all-purpose tool, to be used like a hawk and as a knife. He skinned and cleaned many a deer with his, as well as using it for more menial chores around camp that would require a knife.

This japanese finishing hatchet looks like it would lend itself to use as a knife, as well. Sounds like that is almost its intended purpose.

Good thread, hollowdweller! I'll be anxious to see what comes of it. :thumbup:

Edited: now that I think about it, there was even a thread a while back where the author re-ground a VTAC with a more narrow bit to make it more suitable for woodwork. He also used it around the kitchen, showing pics of him dicing all manner of vegetable with it!
Click to expand...


Good lord! I opened that site. The hatchet looks good but I was amazed how much the GB hatchets have gone up. The mini is 120! I think I paid 80 maybe 3 years ago?? I think I paid 50 some for the wildlife.
 
GB hatchets have not gone up in the strict sense as much as the dollar has gone down.
 
good thread...!

there's a picture of Ishi finishing a bow with a hatchet.

there was a reason to use a hatchet that i have forgotten, mabe the inertia of the head.


brother ron hood designed the ATAX along the concept that a hatchet-type head could also be used as a knife-type impliment.

vec
 
When I was in the service I spent a good bit of time with a group of Alaskan Indians. They used ulu's very efficiently. I had never seen it done before that, but a hawk that can have the head removed can be used to great advantage. When in use, you are applying pressure directly behind the cutting edge rather than at the end of a handle. Don't get me wrong, I like my knives for many things, however for skinning and fleshing, an ulu or dismounted hawk head is an excellent tool. I should mention that the ulu's that were in use there were not large or fancy. They were straight sided blades with a slightly curved cutting edge that was about 3 1/2 to 4 inches long. A hawk blade does not have the same lines but the cutting edge is a similar profile and will work quite well when dismounted (from my experience).
 
If you look at Tactical Tomahawk that has the three cutting surfaces you'll notice that were the haft is attached to the head it is relieved.

It is relieved to allow the user to choke up on the tomahawk for close quarter combat and shield the user from one of the primary cutting edges.

I have also (if you'll notice) two lanyard holes.

I choose to use a lanyard in the middle of the haft.

The lanyard is then adjusted so when you release the tension of your grip (depending on whether you want to choke up or go to the end of the haft) the lanyard will stop the hawk from flying out of your hand.

Respectfully,

RK
 
I know we never used a sheath knife, but all of us carried an axe. I also knew a Canadian chick (really cute, but unfortunately engaged) who said in N. Ontario they use an axe to gut & field dress mooses. Once I took her w/ me in the woods & she showed me a nifty way to up a deer (we expiremented on groundhog). She used the curved blade down the critter, turned him over & the gut sack fell out. That's how I do almost all mine now.
 
A Hatchet can do some of the same things as good as a knife can when in capable hands, and vise versa but the fact of the matter is that both the knife and the hatchet are two different tools and both serve two separate roles. Like I said though they can be interchanged to a point. For example carve a fire board with a hatchet, it's gonna be tough, on the other hand its going to be tougher to build a sturdy shelter with just a knife, small or large,
especially when it has to be done quickly as in a survival situation. By all means learn to use your hatchet well, but don't ignore the knife. I carry a 4" knife, a seven or a Ten inch knife, a pocket knife, and a wetterlings hatchet. The extra weight is worth it.
 
I like the Gator that has the knife in the handle for that very reason
 
What I have found that works the best for myself is to carry a hatchet and a smaller knife. Since when in the woods I do a lot of shelter building, fire prep, dressing game, and so forth, I would carry a large knife (in the 9-10 inch range) and a second around 4 inches for food prep, skinning, and general duties. For the past four years I have carried a fiskars 14 inch hatchet instead of the large knife. I put my titanium silverware in the hollow handle to protect it from being bent in my pack. This is a very good hatchet, and with it's extreme forward weight bias chops out of proportion to it's size. It will take an edge that is extremely sharp which makes it suitable for most knife chores. Since pack weight is a demon that I am constantly battling with, this solution is what I have settled on for now. I tried the pack ax and after overshooting what I was chopping on, smashing my fingers good, I went with the longer handle. A friend of mine told me he had the same experience. A lesson to be learned from using these 8 inch hatchets. A full handed grip places your hand directly below the edge, so any error in your swing can result in a painfull smash.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top