Looking for 30" synthetic handle

[big no-no]

I'm trying to find one of those unbreakable tomahawk handles such as the one on the Lagana Tactical, but I want one that is about 30" long or so. Does anybody out there have a source for such a thing?

 

[Bors]

Just a thought but have you thought about reshapping a CS polypropylene Brooklyn Smasher or Brooklyn Crusher?
Or possibly a synthetic hammer handle from the local hardware store?

Just a thought

 

[Scottman]

Or maybe their fighting stick

 

[vector001]

i make them, brothers.

they are reinforced composite, not polypropylene like the smashers. etc.

i prefer the cordura and paracord-wrapped ones, with the cowled steel rings in the butts (pictured in 20-inch versions, above, in ARPAT AND COYOTE BROWN)....

i am glad to hear someone is looking for longer hawk handles ...i couldn't agree more.

the lower weight and increased strength helps make a good hawk a bit better.

they are not for everybody though, i understand.

they have an added composite strike plate on the hatchet side that resists overstrike damage, assists in tracking, and has some tactical advantages.

i'm new to the forum and bought a knifemakers membership ...and hope i am not misstepping here, by introducing myself, yet again! ...i already got zapped once .......

....so my contact info is in my profile, if ya like, brethren... there's also the humble beginnings of my website there, for any buddy interested.......

i will have some of these in the knifemakers forum in the future, and some of the brethren here that have already bought them should post their thoughts.

it's an ongoing project.

yours,

vec

 

[Wolf_1989]

I like my handles long but not too long.

When I replace a handle, I hand-carve an old sledgehammer handle and leave it about 25".

After fixing the head in place where I want it, I remove the excess length a little bit at a time until the tomahawk's balance is exactly where I want it. A lot of that depends on the weight/size of the head.

I've found 21" - 23" is just about perfect for me.

 

[Bigfattyt]

Nice looking hawks vec. You will have to post some prices on here.

As to shaping a CS polypropylene product to make a handle, I don't think the material will be as rigid as you would want a handle to be (if some one tries it with good results be sure to let us know. I think you would have to reinforce the handle with a harder rod in the center (like a fiberglass rod).

Wolf_1989 do you by the handles, or just use broken ones and shorten them? Also do you attach the head from the bottom up (ie slip joint where you slide the head up the handle with a wider top) or do you leave the handle thicker and attach the head from the top? if so how?

 

[Wolf_1989]

Wolf_1989 do you by the handles, or just use broken ones and shorten them? Also do you attach the head from the bottom up (ie slip joint where you slide the head up the handle with a wider top) or do you leave the handle thicker and attach the head from the top? if so how?

Currently on my ATC Rogers Rangers Spike and my CS Rifleman are handles carved from 100+ year old sledgehammer handles I found in an old barn.

And yes, I slide the heads on from the bottom and then tack a sawed-off nail directly beneath the head to prevent slippage.

 

[vector001]

I like my handles long but not too long.

When I replace a handle, I hand-carve an old sledgehammer handle and leave it about 25".

After fixing the head in place where I want it, I remove the excess length a little bit at a time until the tomahawk's balance is exactly where I want it. A lot of that depends on the weight/size of the head.

I've found 21" - 23" is just about perfect for me.

i hear ya on the handle length, brother.

composites (when done right) can redefine things though...;

a brother just returned two of my earliest hawks from February, when i started developing the current handle design ...one of them is about 30 inches long! - he has a lot of throwing experience and was surprised at how well they throw, large and small.

i'm not into throwing yet personally, but i can appreciate that faculty in the design.

when folks order from me and don't own hawks i usually suggest the long hawks unless the clients are three feet tall, ...and offer a free retrofit if they don't care for it ...i call it part of the "happiness gaurantee" ...buying an heirloom-quality tool should not be a headache, right...?

that said...;

....wood is wonderful if you ask me (when done right, also ...grains aligned right, etc.), ...composites is just another choice, to feed my addiction ...hehehe...!

with my personal hawk-collecting problem i am sure i will die with a hundred of each kind .......


you do beautiful work, brother wolf.

vec

 

[Wolf_1989]

when folks order from me and don't own hawks i usually suggest the long hawks unless the clients are three feet tall, ...

Exactly. I'm 6'5". A tomahawk with a handle of about 15" feels like a toy to me.

However... I live in the woods of southeast Ohio. The brush is THICK here. If a tomahawk has a handle longer than 25", I find it too long and it gets hung up a lot. That's why I start with a handle of about 25" and shorten it little by little till the balance is just right. It's almost always in the 21" - 23" range practically every time.

What tools do I use? Knife, wood rasp, palm sander, sanding sponges, and a bow saw. It's a slow process, but I want absolute perfection.

you do beautiful work, brother wolf.

vec

Thanks. I enjoy carving wood and making my own stuff.



THIS is an old-school weapon. Traditional eastern ball-headed warclub hand carved from one solid piece of cherry heartwood. The spike is white-tail deer antler tine and the handle wrapping is buckskin. This one took about 3 weeks.

 

[vector001]

holy smokes! that is awesome.

excuse me while i go hide the head in shame....

vec