Hawk bug & question (forged vs cast)

[shobumike88]

Hi all,

I've managed to get the hawk & axe bug. I got a CS norsehawk at a gun show and discovered how handy these things can be. Then I managed to score a H&B Forge norse axe at military collectors show - that thing's a beast but it actually is better balanced & easier to swing than it's massive nature would have you believe.

Now, I've been researching other hawks and want to know if there really is a significant difference between forged vs cast. I'm primarily interested in general usability (light to moderate wood chopping, clearing etc. for camping & whatnot) I would assume forged should be stronger & tougher, but I also know many good tools are cast & tempered. I looked through earlier posts but couldn't find much along these lines. Thanks for any info.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Forged will generally be better than cast.

Forging aligns the metal grain, and gives a nice, dense grain pattern.

Casting can leave air pocket in the metal and they will tend to break at those points.

However, if a piece is properly investment cast and heat treated, it will be fine (think Ruger guns). A good modern heat treat does the grain alignment that forging did in earlier blades. However, most cast axe/hatchet/hawk bits are cheaply cast, and most often use inferior metals and only a rudimentary heat treat. For tools like these, I'd strongly prefer a forged, or even stock removal from billet, production method over a cast piece.

 

[DWK2]

The late, highly respected maker named Two Hawks (who posted many times on this forum) used very high quality investment cast heads that he had someone make to his specs. He found them to be more consistent than forgings and plenty durable. However, I wouldn't want to buy a cheap hawk with a poorly cast head, for the reasons enunciated above. Bottom line: Go with a well respected maker and either type of head should work fine for you.

DancesWithKnives

 

[shobumike88]

Thanks for the replies. I was trying to see if there was any real clear consensus. I think both Cpl Punishment and DWK2 make good points - the forged axes are really tough and should have a theoretical edge, but it sounds like if the head is properly cast and tempered for toughness it should be really good also (I know for example Allen Foundry also has a good rep & they are cast).