hawk in the woods

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
5,944
Hi,

I haven't posted much in this specific area..I am considering buying a tomohawk for use while camping and practicing woodcraft. in the past I used a machete or a 14 inch fiskars..are there any advantages or disadvantages to a tomohawk I should know about before getting one? also aside from just really being cool why a hawk instead of an axe..having never owned a hawk I don't know..I'm just looking to get schooled a bit in this, Thanks.
 
One of the advantages of a hawk is being able to form and fit a new haft while in the field.
 
You can do that with an axe as well, but it's easier with a 'hawk since the haft is straight and round(ish) and no futzing with wedges and such.

There's debate on this, but from my reading a 'hawk is primarily a weapon that can also do woodswork, whereas an axe is primarily a tool that can also be used as a weapon.

I'd say an axe is what you want for heavy work, for light work, like what most do on a hike or camping, a 'hawk should work fine. I seem to remember NA Aborigines having a rule of thumb (rule of wrist?) to not use any wood larger in diameter than one's wrist for "projects". Following that rule, a 'hawk should be just fine.

Oh yeah, they look way cool.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
...from my reading a 'hawk is primarily a weapon that can also do woodswork, whereas an axe is primarily a tool that can also be used as a weapon...
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The North River Belt Axe/Tomahawk...is it an axe...or is it a tomahawk? Who knows...but it certainly does look waaay cool! ;)

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hawks are far more durable than an ax or hatchet. they can take damage that would destroy other tools. i've accidentally hit a rock once while doing some chopping and i mean i hit it hard. the edge rolled instead of chipped out. some light filing followed by some stone work had it shaving again. i also find them to be of relative light weight compared to a similar sized ax.
 
i bought a CS trail hawk afew monthsago after seen Q's mods and everyone elses to. I have to say there are alot of tradeoffs with a TH than with a hatchet. If you dont mind alittle extra weight, than id go with the Fiskars 14 incer. That works 100 times better than the trail hawk. I like my trailhawk...for an ornament. Theres a reason they have hatchets and hawks.
Yall are right, they are lighter, they can do light dudty, and they are easy to rehandle. Just my opinion. Big Phil
 
crossada said:
hawks are far more durable than an ax or hatchet. they can take damage that would destroy other tools. i've accidentally hit a rock once while doing some chopping and i mean i hit it hard. the edge rolled instead of chipped out.
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what does rolling an edge have to do with being more durable? The steel, temper and edge geometry are all factors certainly, but those vary from hawk to hawk like axe to axe. Maybe the handle cracking on an S shape rather than straight. Wetterlings and gransfors use tough steels, certainly as tough as any hawk. can you elaborate?
 
I do like Trail Hawk,but prefere small axe or hatchet,since I'm not often engaged in combat while in woods,and axe/hatchet is what I find much better chopper.
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Big philly 1 said:
i bought a CS trail hawk afew monthsago after seen Q's mods and everyone elses to. I have to say there are alot of tradeoffs with a TH than with a hatchet. If you dont mind alittle extra weight, than id go with the Fiskars 14 incer. That works 100 times better than the trail hawk. I like my trailhawk...for an ornament. Theres a reason they have hatchets and hawks.
Yall are right, they are lighter, they can do light dudty, and they are easy to rehandle. Just my opinion. Big Phil
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I'd havta agree with Big Philly: if you want to chop wood get a hatchet...but if you want to scare people, fight, or look cool get a hawk. :cool:
 
yeah I kind of of figured, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out...don't really have much use for a fighting tool...luckily..most folks would kill themselves after spending 10 mins with me anyway...LOL..Thanks guys...I think I'll stick with my hatchet.
 
I'm a BIG hawk fan.....

I've used Gransfors, Fiskars, Gerber(same maker), Estwing and many other axes over the years... they have all worked well...

I tried out a CS Trail Hawk and liked it alot but the short cutting edge scared me a bit so I went to a Frontier Hawk and used it for about 3-4 yrs. Then I began training with a wilderness skills instructor and notice that he and his crew all had CS Norse Hawks. This was up in Northern Ontario, Canada... right in lumberjack territory... why no axes? I asked and they gave me the reason of quick handle replacement.... Why the Norse? I asked again and he went into a huge explanation of why they evolved toward the Norse shape....

As a chopper it had a long cutting edge that was very forgiving.... this long upswept edge also lends itself well to slashing at brush. The the down-drop of the edge was great for hooking limbs or reaching up to grab anchor points while climbing. The half moon shape also offers more sticking point for throwing. It is heavy enough for chopping (I've taken down 16" dia dead-standing poplar with it) and light enough to choke up and do woodcraft, comfortably. Then he told me it their preferred tool for skinning larger game animals.... ????.... he then popped it of the handle and held it like an Inuit Ulu knife. With the right edge geometry you can tackle all these tasks with ease.

I have been working with him for 2yrs now and have grown to depend on my hawk to the point where I hardly unsheathe my knife anymore.

Rick

Here is a family portrait including my hawk..... "Chuck Norse"

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The reality of Hawk's were that they are multi-purpose tools. There is nothing that my fiskars can do, that my Fort Turner cannot do. The issue with Cold Steel Hawks is that they require some work to make them good tools. If you have the patience and the time that is. I will say this, the CS Hawks all cost about 20 bucks. It can't hurt to pick one up, work on it, and do some comparisons.
 
UCberzerkeley said:
what does rolling an edge have to do with being more durable? The steel, temper and edge geometry are all factors certainly, but those vary from hawk to hawk like axe to axe. Maybe the handle cracking on an S shape rather than straight. Wetterlings and gransfors use tough steels, certainly as tough as any hawk. can you elaborate?
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good point. when i hit that rock and it didn't chip off steel like i did to my knife once i thought it was due to tempering. i have never tried a good ax or hatchet, only a couple of cheap ones but i figured the tempering on an ax would be higher considering you wouldn't be throwing them or other abusive tasks.:confused:
 
Smash05 said:
The issue with Cold Steel Hawks is that they require some work to make them good tools. If you have the patience and the time that is.
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It doesn't take much to regrind the bevel on them, Smash.... especially if you have acces to a belt grinder.

I don't see many makers producing the small "Norse" type hawks or I'd probably pay the extra to support the custom guys. Price is small part of my tool selection process.
 
Magnussen,

I was hoping you'd chime in...Interesting points I might look into the norse hawk design.
Thanks
 
i just watched a movie called "Ginger Snaps the beginning" where one of the main characters carried what looked to be a norse hawk.
 
I believe your thinking of ginger snaps 2... good flick..but dogsoldiers is hands down the best werewolf movie to date..sorry to divert.. thanks for all the help so far guys.
 
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