hawk in the woods

I’ve had hawks delaminate on me, it was cheap one not meant for actual work, just to throw at tomahawk blocks. The one I have now was made by Edgar Chattin, a guy who used to rendezvous with us at the Alafia, Tony Bell tells me Edgar is to busy making knives and tomahawks to come rendezvousing with us but he does miss it.

I have a couple of GRANSFORS BRUKS axes and hatchets. They are made differently with the handle hole punched rather than folded like most tomahawks. If weight becomes a major factor I would lean towards the tomahawk for all the reasons already mentioned and because the steel Edgar uses is phenomenal. It stays scary sharp after quite a bit of use. Being able to reach and hook with the tomahawk is a big plus, especially in a canoe.
 
I started carrying a hawk in the woods as a kid. They cut better than the hardware store handaxes due to thinner blade profile (I couldn't afford Eastwing back then), threw better, and were longer (around 19 inches) in the handle. They were lighter to carry around too. The hooking ability of the hawk with it's length saved my hands and fingers innumerate scrapes, cuts, bites and crushes by gripping for me. It saved my back too. Bend down and touch the floor from standing...now do that about thirty more times. 19 inches is a huge help in going up trees as well just like Mag says.

If I go into the woods to cut up a bunch of firewood I take the hawk...not to cut up the wood, but to help move it around. As a kid the hawk became my long left hand when it wasn't in my right. I carried a kukri in addition to the hawk. That left me without something to cut those pesky pencil sized and smaller vines, you know, those really fibrous ones that make you feel like an idiot for expending so much energy just to get through ONE. Well, I just started grabbing a handful of vines with the hawk in the left and the kukri in the right and could get through a handful in one swipe.
If you carry a tool, any tool, long enough you will find within it a swiss army knife of sorts (that darn corkscrew is nothing compared to the real deal but when you need it, hey, it's there). For me, my always have around tool is a hawk.
 
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