hawk handle problems

S

smahlau

Joined
Jun 1, 2005
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I have a tomahawk head and no matter what I try the handle keeps breaking right below the head. I'm a bit of a witler so I've used oak, and mohogany, both are good sturdy woods. the head is a cheap Ebay item that came with a pine handle that broke the very first throw. my last mohogany handle made about a dozen good throws. I would give up on this hawk head but it sticks so well. I'm not the most experienced, I've thrown a few knives and stumbled into hawks. I'd honestly say 8 to 9 times out of ten this thing hits and stays. the handle hole is one inch by 9/16ths inch. which I'm sure is the problem. I do expect the handle to break once in a while. but I can't get a handle to last more than 15 throws tops. any suggestions???
 
Try hickory or ash. Mahogany is too soft and brittle for a hawk handle in my opinion. Where in Michigan are you? Are you close to Holland? Also, thank you for your service.
 
I'm in holly MI, how much is a shaft of hickory or ash? the mohogany it definitly not soft. I'm thinking the hole in the head it too small. I'll try the hickory though. hopefully that works.
I appreciate your thanks.
 
I'd go to a hardware store and see what they have for replacement handles. Expect to do a lot of fitting.

If the piece of wood in question is truly mahogany, it wouldn't be too terribly hard.
 
no dice. got about a dozen throws and 11 hits, end result, broke handle. any more suggestions. I'm thinking about a metal handle. I did that once with this particular head and the weight of the handle would knock the hawk out right after impact. I'm using about a 16 to 18 in handle but it keeps breaking right below the head. that was with ash on the last attempt. would hickory work much better or should I just scrap the head and get a new hawk?
 
Hickory is the best bet for hard use. You should be able to find a decent hickory handle at a hardware or home center. If not go to your local door-making/millwork business in you area. If they don't have any hickory, they should be able to order you some. Or you could get it online. Other woods that purportedly work well are cherry and maple (although I've found that cherry seems to be especially prone to splitting outright when driving in a wedge to retain the head). Bubinga also seems to make a nice strong hafting material, although it's probably too expensive (and nice!) to use for throwing :)

A good mahogany will work well for light use, and combines beauty with light weight, although it is much too fragile for throwing. Taping up (or otherwise reinforcing) the haft immediately under the hawk head will also help prevent breakage of the haft when throwing. Duct tape works well. A more attractive reinforcing can be made by taping the haft under the head with mesh drywall tape, (or cloth tape) then coating it with epoxy glue.
 
I agree that hickory works well. I have only been throwing for about 6 months and have really beaten up my hawks. I have gone through hundreds of throws and did not have a breakage until a couple of days ago wherein I split a handle with another hawk. I practice about 30 minutes or more every evening. I was able to wrap it and continue on and split it again yesterday afternoon. Wrapped again and kept on going.

Perhaps you may be throwing too hard for the diameter of the handle? I broke a mouse hawk handle that way.

You can find hickory handles online for less than 4 bucks a piece.
 
Make sure to get plenty of oil in that sucker too. For me, it's been the difference between dents and splits. Cheap insurance.
 
I'll agree with the hickory, but make sure it is straight grained hickory and dried. After fitting to the head and everything is tight and the way you want it give it liberal coatings of minneral oil, or linnsead oil. Sounds like the size of the hole is the real problem, though straight grained hickory will help a lot.
 
Also make sure that the wood is sapwood, not the softer heartwood. The sapwood from hickory is very light colored. The heartwood will be darker.
 
Have you thought about getting a piece of Dymondwood, it the epoxy impregnated wood they sell at knifemaker supply places. in my experience it can be oftern stronger than plain wood alone, comes in many colors too so you can get something that isn't too flashy. Try texas knifemakers supply or sheffields fro longer pieces.
 
smahlau: In all my extensive hawk throwing Rondy experience I've never seen a hickory hawk handle broken, by throwing anyway. Is your hawk head round or oval? Oval just seems like it would be stronger. Also, don't use glue or a wedge to fasten your handle. Just pound the handle nice and tight into the head. Pound it into a rock on the ground. That way if the handle hits the target the handle will fly off the head instead of breaking. My hawk handle is 15 inches. You may try a shorter handle too. Mine is 15" from top to bottom. Let us know how you make out on this problem. Good luck.
 
I have been using a wedge. which might very well be the problem. where I run into trouble is the size of the hole in the hawk. it's about one inch by 9/16ths on an inch. If i were to slide the hawk to the wide part of the handle I'm sure that would work. But that would mean I'd have less than 1 by 1/2 inch handle. I'm thinking about tossing this particular hawk and looking into getting something that will be a lot more feasible to work with. I'll still try all the suggestiuons I've been given. Hickory seems hands down the way to go. so in a last attempt I plan on getting some straight grained light colored hickory. I'll then support it below the head with some kind of wrap, most likely some wet leather that I'll let dry after I put it on. and I'll top it off with a washer to keep the head on instead of a wedge. this should do untill I get another hawk with a bigger hole.
Thanks every one for all of your input, Any suggestions as to where to look for a reasonably priced spiked hawk?
 
... are probably not the best for throwing, the balance may be way off. You can get throwing hawks on e-bay and I suggest getting a "brand name" hawk. Here are a few suggestions.
1) cold steel frontier hawk @ $20 cast head
2) M&W black hawk from crazy crow trading post @ $20 cast head
3) H&B hawk( I forget which model) forged head @ $40-$50 ?
I have thrown all of the above and can attest to their functionality
4) the Ft Turner hawks look to be very nice. They cost a bit more than the H&B

getting your present hawk up to snuff is a good idea too. One hawk is not enough.
 
getting your present hawk up to snuff is a good idea too. One hawk is not enough.
Click to expand...
Oh so true.

hawk_group_photo1.jpg
 
on average, about how big is the hole in a hawk head for the handle?
Very nice collection by the way.
 
Thanks for the compliments.

Generally speaking, for those hawk heads hafted from the bottom, the hole would be similar to that of a hammer, roughly 1" x 5/8" or so. Some are smaller and some are larger, depending on the design and size of the hawk. Naturally, the hawk heads that are meant to be hafted from the top will have larger holes than those meant to be hafted from the bottom.

And yes, those Iroquois hawks are large pieces. The lower one with the bubinga haft is particularly beefy.
 
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