How do I secure the head on my hawk?

dewingrm

dewingrm

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Oct 23, 2001
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The head on my CS norse hawk is constantly coming lose from the handle. This is the first hawk that I have used and I am not sure if this is a normal occurrence with hawks. What is the best way to secure the head on a tomahawk?

Ryan
 
Ryan, in my experience & that of several others, CS has notoriously poor fitting handles. It is, however, possible to get an acceptable fit but it will take some work. This thread from August covers the topic in detail. Good luck.
 
The CS hawks do have a terrible fit to their handles. Personally if your just going to throw the thing for fun I wouldn't waste a lot of time fitting the handle. If your throwing more than one hawk at the target the handle's not going to last that long any way. Just slip the head on and smack the handle down on a tree stump each time it comes off and eventually it will seat. Right about the time it fits perfect you or a friend will hit it (either intentionally or not) and slice the damn thing right off and you'll have to start over again:)
 
Would shims work to secure the handle, wood or metal? I am not looking for a labor intensive fix (this is just my beater hawk). Thanks for the info guys!

Ryan
 
I would hesitate to use shims of any kind between the head & haft. Some pretty tremendous forces come into play even on a good stick & I would be afraid of the potential for shrapnel. Because of the tapered eye, a traditional wedge wouldn't work either since the head would likely travel down the haft as the wedge is driven in.

A down & dirty solution that might work is to go to a local machine shop & see if they will set the haft in place with a press. Since I do a lot of throwing with different hawks, I'll probably buy an arbor press as Two Hawks had suggested in the earlier thread.
 
Thanks Brian,
I wasn't sure if the shim idea was a good one. I am just a beginner when it comes to hawks so any information you guys can offer is very helpful.

Thanks again,

Ryan
 
I've used shims with good success, however, they do shorten the life of the handle,hence, it's only a temporary fix... If you throw as much as I do,it's not too long before it starts to crack where you jammed the wedge in, and I'd used a saw prior to installing that wedge. Two Hawks has the best method, I've never replaced a handle on mine, I have four of his hawks. In fact, none have ever come loose. I've replaced so many handles on the 'hawks made in India and my Canadian Blackhawk that I couldn't tell you how many. It's a real chore getting that one degree taper in the eye, but well worth it in the long run. When the fit is right, and the head is pressed on, it won't come loose.Good Luck!
 
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