keeping hawk handles from shrinking

[rocketmann]

I was wondering if I should build a drying box of some sort to keep my supply of hawk handles as dry as possible.. I often worry about sending a hawk to a arid region and having the head come loose due to handle shrinkage. I typically cut my handles close to the hawk head so there is little room for adjustment later(I can't stand to look at an inch of wood sticking out of the top of a hawk head) I had no complaints from the ones that went to Iraq, but who knows if they needed adjustment after being there for a few months?? Anyone else obsessing over this??

 

[Stuart Willis]

I worry about it all the time. I keep wood that I make them out of inside the house. This seems to keep them pretty stable I have not had any problems with shrinkage,but I know what mean about obsessing. I have thought about building a cabinet like talked about in the book step by step knifemaking. It uses shelves made from fence wire to lay the handle material on with a light bulb in the bottom

 

[bikermikearchery]

I live in the desert, well actually I'm 50 miles from where the desert officially starts. Very dry here. I use hickory and maple for my hawk handles, which doesn't grow here and comes from places with a lot more humidity. The suppliers I get my handles from have been good about sending seasoned wood. There can still be a small amount of shrinkage though. I like my hawk handles left a bit over sized because of that. I took a hawk with me to Saudi Arabia/Kuwait during the last gulf war and had no issues with It, but like I said I leave mine over-sized. If there down to 9% moisture and have a good oil finish they are very stable.

 

[Mark Williams]

I was amazed at how much wood does shrinks even in ones that are supposed to be stable.

Hawk heads will get loose by design and there is nothing you can do about it in a tapered style. Even if you pin the head it will still get loose under heavy use.

As much as I love traditional style hawks, they are crappy designs for real world usage.


Mark