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- Sep 11, 2009
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I got this little puppy in the mail at work yesterday from John of JK hand made knives from here on the forums & immediately took it out to the yard & gave it a quick test run.
I chopped a 3x3 post & a 2x4 then split one half of the 3x3.
First the specs.
It is 1/4"01 steel,full tang with oak scales held on with 5 brass pins.
The head is 4"long with a 3" cutting edge & the OAL is 11 3/4"making for a nice light hawk for campwood chores & backpackers.
Weight is 1lb.4oz.It will weight a bit more with the optional black or tan micarta scales .(& less with a cord wrap that John is considering as an option)
The handle at the scales is 9 1/4" long & 15/16 high x 1" thick tapering to 11/16 towards the head.
John left some of the forge scale on the flats for that rustic look.
The hawk came very sharp & bit pretty deep considering it's light weight & it came with a nice leather edge cover,also made by John.
It's a bit light to split anything bigger around than 2-3" with anything other than straight grains on it's own,but thats where the full tang comes in handy,it's perfect for batoning.
I batoned it through the 3x3 no problem after chopping it in two.
This is a great little wood processor that works like a bigger axe/hatchet/hawk.
I'm thinking it will also be a great tool in procesing big game & will give it go if I get lucky & fill my elk tag this year.
I took most of the forge scale off when I cleaned it up with scotchbrite for the final pic.
You can see the nice high grind & v edge that helps this little guy chew wood like a beaver.
It won't out chop a bigger hawk/hatchet,but it will get the job done & weight much less on the trail for you hikers.
I was going to take it up to the mountains today & give it a proper work out,but decided to go tomorrow to miss the first day of the holiday traffic.(I can't wait to try a feather stick with it.)
I'll post some better pics with mother nature tomorrow or monday.Have a good one.......
Ok,I took the Belt Hawk up to my favorite camp site & gave it a real workout today.
First I chopped a piece off a good sized log (4-5"),then batoned the chunk I chopped off into smaller pieces & then split some nice slim kindling.
The hawk did great,no hot spots or sore hand after chopping through the log.Batoning through the larger log was a breeze thanks to the solid handle.
After giving the hawk a workout I used my JK Packer to split & shave some fatwood to get the fire started.
I added some crushed pine needles & moss to the shavings.
Now we're ready to get a fire going just as soon as the fire ban is lifted.(just need a spark)
Hopefully before rifle season opens in mid oct.
I found that the hawk rides very well on/in my Maxp.Versipack,either through the loop on the shoulder strap or in the main pocket.
I went for a little hike to a big old rock I found a few years ago & it rode in the pocket just fine.
It also carries just fine in the belt loop of my Carharts.
The hike pics will be in another thread,I still have to upload them to PB.
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