New Full Tang Tomahawk Design, the "Work Hawk"

Terotuf is my favorite handle material for these. I find it reduces shock more than Micarta and about the same as wood. I do like the idea of filling the tang slots with something absorb shock. There are two elongated circle cutouts between each bolt. Maybe I could fill them with some kind of rubbery foam...
 
My thoughts on this are; remove the hole in the head. Removing weight from the head is counter productive. If you need to reduce weight, IMO reduce it elsewhere somehow or not at all.

Change the design of the poll. Get rid of those little notches in it. Maybe have it protrude as much as it currently does - except for the length of the head. and do away with those notches. Maybe there is a specific reason for them which im missing though?

im usually against this kind of thing, but your last iteration, the one with the paracord...I dont hate it..which in fact is quite a compliment as im generally quick to express my dislike of such things..so good job. keep at it
 
I have often declared I am not a small ax/hatchet person. I did however used to use one regularly, and still own a couple. I truly like this concept. I would absolutely love to get my hands on one for extensive testing. I like the hole. I am thinking this replaces a belt knife and belt ax. So the hole as said, would help with detail work. I can see how you could do big carving chores with this. I can see this being used kind of like an ulu for food prep. I can see how this could be used for gutting and beheading fish. So the question in my mind isn't how it will do small carpentry type chores,(it looks like it will do those fine, but I could be wrong) it is how well will it limb and split? Perhaps I missed it, but is that cut out below the hole big enough, or shaped so the middle finger or pointer is comfortable jammed in/against there when choked up? When splitting, or chopping or making kindling, have you found the handle had been "in the way? Perhaps the top of the handle should be somewhere between the two top holes?
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Regardless they look awesome!
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I do really like the concept. If you want a horribly opinionated review done by someone who will thoroughly abuse your product I am willing;)
 
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nzedge said:
My thoughts on this are; remove the hole in the head. Removing weight from the head is counter productive. If you need to reduce weight, IMO reduce it elsewhere somehow or not at all.

Change the design of the poll. Get rid of those little notches in it. Maybe have it protrude as much as it currently does - except for the length of the head. and do away with those notches. Maybe there is a specific reason for them which im missing though?

im usually against this kind of thing, but your last iteration, the one with the paracord...I dont hate it..which in fact is quite a compliment as im generally quick to express my dislike of such things..so good job. keep at it
Click to expand...

I will take any sort of compliment ;)

Seriously, thank you for the considered feedback. I like the balance where it is. At some lower weight, the axe rule of more concentrated head weight = better chopper starts to break down. In fact, a less head-heavy, well-designed knife at around the same weight can keep up with or even out-chop the work hawk, but the work hawk is better at other tasks. I have considered doing hole-less versions in a slightly thicker steel and therefore a higher weight (still keeping in hatchet range), also allowing for a larger wedge shape to play with different grinds.

The notches make hammering odd/wet/slippery/uneven wood easier, and safer IMO.

Woodcraft said:
I have often declared I am not a small ax/hatchet person. I did however used to use one regularly, and still own a couple. I truly like this concept. I would absolutely love to get my hands on one for extensive testing. I like the hole. I am thinking this replaces a belt knife and belt ax. So the hole as said, would help with detail work. I can see how you could do big carving chores with this. I can see this being used kind of like an ulu for food prep. I can see how this could be used for gutting and beheading fish. So the question in my mind isn't how it will do small carpentry type chores,(it looks like it will do those fine, but I could be wrong) it is how well will it limb and split? Perhaps I missed it, but is that cut out below the hole big enough, or shaped so the middle finger or pointer is comfortable jammed in/against there when choked up? When splitting, or chopping or making kindling, have you found the handle had been "in the way? Perhaps the top of the handle should be somewhere between the two top holes?

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Regardless they look awesome!

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I do really like the concept. If you want a horribly opinionated review done by someone who will thoroughly abuse your product I am willing;)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great feedback and questions! It seems like you have an intuitive sense of what I am trying to accomplish with these, which is pretty cool to me.
The middle finger does fine in that choked up position, but I may actually move the holes slightly forward and/or decrease the size for the index finger to grip in there more comfortably. It's fine with gloves, but then again it isn't something I regularly do because it doesn't feel at all necessary. Either my grip is slid up where the index finger rests comfortably under the beard, or I am going into full-on pinch grip over the back and leaning my body weight down (which is also a great way to plane small carvings with a rocking motion).

Your question about limbing reminded me I had a video to upload. Finally figured out how to get the gopro linked up with my computer etc. so I could post this video, so now people can watch me lackadaisically hack at plum trees in HD! I took it pretty easy for the most part since there isn't even a wrap on the hawk I'm using.


I have a lot of fun limbing with these. The thin bit will slice through some surprisingly large stuff if the angle is right. In the vid the tree moving takes some of the juice out of hitting larger pieces but it was still fun.

I moved the upper bolt hole after my first small run of these, and it's even lower on the XL, but I don't have any issues, certainly not with chopping. If you were wanting to split large logs, I'm sure it would be a problem, but that would be a waste of time with such a light tool anyway. My favorite way to split with the work hawk is to turn the piece on it's side. It makes very quick work, again because of how thin the bit is (I believe). It might be worth trying with the handle down that far, of course it will be less comfortable when carving. There's no reason I can't make one like that at any point as is though.

Thanks again. I'd love to do a pass-around at some point, although I'm not sure how to organize that sort of thing. Can't be too hard :confused:
 
I would imagine you could deal with large rounds like you would with a large knife. Place the blade on the round and strike the poll.
 
Park,

That is a great vid demonstrating the use of your hawk in a very practical scenario! I could see using that as a light one tool option or pairing it with a 4-5 in. utility type woods knife. Love the multi position handle letting you choke up for fire sticks or detail cuts/carving and the flared end on the back for heavier chopping. I've only just gotten my hands on some 80crv2 blades but so far they are hard use blades that perform similar to my 5160 stuff. I don't have any experience with tero tuff but the way you describe it, it sounds fun.

What kind of sheath and carry options do you have? From your earlier pics it looks like you have some nice well built blade covers. Maybe a belt or under arm sling carry? Any plans for a 'combat' hawk with a spike for military guys? Thanks for sharing. I now want to pick one of these up!
 
JoeCitizen said:
Park,

That is a great vid demonstrating the use of your hawk in a very practical scenario! I could see using that as a light one tool option or pairing it with a 4-5 in. utility type woods knife. Love the multi position handle letting you choke up for fire sticks or detail cuts/carving and the flared end on the back for heavier chopping. I've only just gotten my hands on some 80crv2 blades but so far they are hard use blades that perform similar to my 5160 stuff. I don't have any experience with tero tuff but the way you describe it, it sounds fun.

What kind of sheath and carry options do you have? From your earlier pics it looks like you have some nice well built blade covers. Maybe a belt or under arm sling carry? Any plans for a 'combat' hawk with a spike for military guys? Thanks for sharing. I now want to pick one of these up!
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Thanks!
Perhaps a combat spike option in the future. I'm going to do a mini version that's only 10" long, so that might be a good platform for a spike hawk because of its portability and potential for concealment.
I'm constantly playing with new sheath ideas, both for retention of the hawk and carry method. Here are a couple of recent examples:

Bronze belt loop on a separate mounting plate.
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My Work Hawk currently for sale has leather belt loops that can be used a couple different ways, and an ALICE pack quick-release:
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I like it I actually have a couple of my own hawk designs being ground for me right now. If I were to make a suggestion I'd say take the meat you don't need out of the tang and leave the head whole.
One of the hawks I'm making has bolt on hammer bits I like the idea because you have the option of removing them if you don't need them.

The top left piece in the picture I added will sort of show the hammer part of my hawk I don't have any pictures of it up close.
 

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The hole in the head begs for some type of sheath without the straps, that would lock/unlock by going over and "clicking into place" via the hole. Various sheath mounting options could have the handle up, down, or horizontal.
 
I like the design a lot, and it's clearly well executed. Without wishing to give offense, though, I would call it a hatchet rather than a tomahawk. It's partly the size and shape of the head, but also the full-tang feature. I realize that there are other full-tang hawks out there, of all shapes and sizes, but I prefer the no-tang, "gravity-hung" type of hawk, and I'll explain why . . .

I am currently partial to the Cold Steel Trail Hawk. It's not the highest quality in the world, for sure, but not the lowest either, and IMHO a great value for the money. Here are the features about it that I prefer to ANY full-tang or fixed-handle alternative:

1. If the shaft breaks, I can easily fashion a new one (I realize, not likely with the full-tang hawk; more an advantage over fixed wooden-handled axes & hatchets)
2. Travelling light, I can simply leave the shaft at home and work one up in the woods (<5 minutes to create a working abomination, 15-20 for something more elegant & functional).
3. Separated from the shaft, I can use the head for pounding, crushing, chopping (e.g., meat, herbs & vegetables, not logs), carving, and a whole lot of other tasks where any long-handled tool, even a large knife, would be awkward.
4. By 3 or 4 different means, some more elegant and long-lasting than others, I can fasten the head to an expedient handle to make a fairly decent adze.
5. With the cut end of a stout log 4" in diameter or so as hammer, and no handle attached, I can use the head as a chisel, especially in places where a fixed handle would get in the way.
6. With a longer, even more stout log swung lengthwise, I can use the head as a wedge to spit wood (probably possible with a full-tang hawk, though not what I would subject an ax with a fixed wooden handle to).
7. In general, I do not carry a knife large enough for chopping or batoning, and I often leave my beloved G-B Small Forest Ax behind for the sake of weight and space, but I find a C.S. Trail Hawk, a folding saw (Laplander or a 24" Bob Dustrude, depending on circumstances), and a smaller knife do all of the necessary jobs nicely, whether I include a shop-made handle or fashion my own as needed.

Anyway, not meant to be derogatory in any way about the beautiful and functional hawk(s) featured here, just my thoughts on the pluses of a traditional hawk head, especially one cheap enough to beat on mercilessly without remorse or financial ruin.
 
BasicHumanUnit said:
Park, ran across this looking for steels for a similar axe im planning. Where did you source those handle screws? I really like them
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They are chainring bolts for a bicycle. You can get them many places, I still haven't found a perfect source that I'm happy with. Best of luck and feel free to ask me any more questions you might have :)

AntCaps said:
I like it I actually have a couple of my own hawk designs being ground for me right now. If I were to make a suggestion I'd say take the meat you don't need out of the tang and leave the head whole.
One of the hawks I'm making has bolt on hammer bits I like the idea because you have the option of removing them if you don't need them.

The top left piece in the picture I added will sort of show the hammer part of my hawk I don't have any pictures of it up close.
Click to expand...

The hole in the head keeps the balance where I'd like it at a certain total weight.

Those pieces look cool! I've toyed with some very similar hammer poll ideas, but ultimately I decided that the poll would get in the way of deep or paring cuts and add weight. Looks good though.

JJHollowman said:
The hole in the head begs for some type of sheath without the straps, that would lock/unlock by going over and "clicking into place" via the hole. Various sheath mounting options could have the handle up, down, or horizontal.
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That's a great idea. Some of my kydex sheaths have locked solidly via the hole, but I always add a retention strap for safety.

Square_peg said:
It's good to see the hawk folks getting active in this forum again.
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Indeed!

rockman0 said:
You might try tapering the tang to reduce weight and shift the weight to the head.
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Tapering tangs is fun, but in this case it would add an ungodly amount of work. The cutouts remove quite a bit of weight as well. Tapering would make funny math for the bolts, require me to use thicker handle stock, provide less comfort for a paracord wrapped handle, the list goes on.
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Stroudless said:
I like the design a lot, and it's clearly well executed. Without wishing to give offense, though, I would call it a hatchet rather than a tomahawk. It's partly the size and shape of the head, but also the full-tang feature. I realize that there are other full-tang hawks out there, of all shapes and sizes, but I prefer the no-tang, "gravity-hung" type of hawk, and I'll explain why . . .

I am currently partial to the Cold Steel Trail Hawk. It's not the highest quality in the world, for sure, but not the lowest either, and IMHO a great value for the money. Here are the features about it that I prefer to ANY full-tang or fixed-handle alternative:

1. If the shaft breaks, I can easily fashion a new one (I realize, not likely with the full-tang hawk; more an advantage over fixed wooden-handled axes & hatchets)
2. Travelling light, I can simply leave the shaft at home and work one up in the woods (<5 minutes to create a working abomination, 15-20 for something more elegant & functional).
3. Separated from the shaft, I can use the head for pounding, crushing, chopping (e.g., meat, herbs & vegetables, not logs), carving, and a whole lot of other tasks where any long-handled tool, even a large knife, would be awkward.
4. By 3 or 4 different means, some more elegant and long-lasting than others, I can fasten the head to an expedient handle to make a fairly decent adze.
5. With the cut end of a stout log 4" in diameter or so as hammer, and no handle attached, I can use the head as a chisel, especially in places where a fixed handle would get in the way.
6. With a longer, even more stout log swung lengthwise, I can use the head as a wedge to spit wood (probably possible with a full-tang hawk, though not what I would subject an ax with a fixed wooden handle to).
7. In general, I do not carry a knife large enough for chopping or batoning, and I often leave my beloved G-B Small Forest Ax behind for the sake of weight and space, but I find a C.S. Trail Hawk, a folding saw (Laplander or a 24" Bob Dustrude, depending on circumstances), and a smaller knife do all of the necessary jobs nicely, whether I include a shop-made handle or fashion my own as needed.

Anyway, not meant to be derogatory in any way about the beautiful and functional hawk(s) featured here, just my thoughts on the pluses of a traditional hawk head, especially one cheap enough to beat on mercilessly without remorse or financial ruin.
Click to expand...

I've got nothing against cheap stuff to beat on in general, many of us enjoy both cheap and nice things. It seemed like you were going to explain why you thought it should be called a hatchet, but then you didn't. Anyway, it's a moot point. Hatchets and tomahawks are categories that overlap.

1. Doesn't apply to my design
2. You aren't saving any weight with a cold steel trail hawk head over my design at 1lb
3. One of the main goals of this tool was to make those sorts of tasks possible without awkwardness. That's one of it's main advantages over a hatchet or large knife.
4.
5. I've never wanted to use an adze or chisel when I'm out backpacking, but I'm having a hard time imagining a situation where they a tomahawk head does a better job than a hatchet in skilled hands or even a pocketknife or fixed blade.
6. Ever try splitting wood from the side?
7. Sounds like a nice combo

Thanks for the feedback!
 
One of these days I need one of your, uh, chopping/cutting tool things (c2t2 ?). An XL with terotuff :) It just looks really handy while still being portable enough not to leave behind. You have clearly put a lot of thought into the design! Just need to replenish my blade budget :(
 
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