New Hanwei Frenchesca Tomahawk handle

T.Saslow

T.Saslow

Periodic Thinker
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
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A little while ago, i met with my buddy Mike. Before this, some guy thought it would be a fantastic idea to test the strength of his original handle. Guess what happened ._. So i offered to make him a handle and after 2 weekends of work, i completed it.

I used Ash as my handle material. The grain alignment is perfect-Right down the middle running perfectly vertical. I coated the handle in several coats oil Linseed oil. As for the method of attachment, i was asked to wedge it rather than having the handle taper up to a thick head and sliding the head on like a traditional tomahawk. I'm glad this was so though because if i hadn't widged it on, the handle would have been about 1" in diameter!

New handle is to the left. It is compared to the Coldsteel Trail hawk and the Coldsteel Viking Hawk

 
Yep!, here you go. I used a piece of Dalbergia Spruciana for the wedge which is a particularly dense hard wood and a metal step wedge. The step wedge did result in a bit of a crack running perpendicular to the wedge but this is typical of a step wedge. I let the entire wedge/head sit in linseed oil for 12 hours so it would swell. I also put some in it when i put the wedges in. I also left about 3/8" of wood on the top so it could mushroom over a bit.

 
There's lots to learn here! Grain orientation on your hang is beautiful! Run-out along the length of the haft looks to be a whole other story. But that handle is short and the head is light so this should not be a problem for ordinary use (cutting and chopping?) unless the wielder chooses to toss it around (ie put shock and shear forces into play). In that case parallel-to-the-blade grain orientation doesn't count for much either and a peeled branch (circular grain and absolutely no run-out) would be a superior choice.
Ash is brittle when compared to Hickory. And myself would love to see how an Elm or an Ironwood handle performs in this regard.

Very nice to see and hear from enthusiastic folks that appreciate real wood.
 
I believe by haft, you mean the butt of the handle? In that case, the grain it perfectly parallel to the grain running vertically, and straight. This continues throughout the handle. I believe what you think id grain run out is actually just some minor contouring i did to make it a little more comfortable.
As for the wood type, yes, i am aware Hickory is far superior. However, the exotic lumber store only had an 18' length that would have run me out $300+ and , with a new forge on the way, i can afford to be spending that money :)
Thanks for the feedback! hope to hear from you again :)
 
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