New to tomahawks have some questions.

S

Stokedlight

Joined
Jan 31, 2015
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Hey everybody, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I recently purchased the beginner tomahawk kit from hatchets and axes. I understand that like every hobby there are beginner levels and pro levels. I figured I'd start somewhere and understand that a cast head and maple handle weren't gonna be the strongest but I do have a couple questions about handles. Unfortunately I put some time and work into staining the handle and grinding off the little burrs and cast markings from the head out it all together nice and tight and on the second throw the handle broke. So my question is, is it possible to put together a functional pipe hawk that can hold up to throwing? I understand hickory is probably a much better choice for a handle but I have yet to find anywhere that sells pre drilled hickory handles? Are there any suppliers for such handles? And will tempering help to strengthen a cast head?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
Not anything wrong with the wood itself, but a hollow handle just isn't going to take a beating that a solid one will. been using a rock maple tomahawk handle for years with no issues whatsoever.
 
Throwing your tomahawk will cause more stress on it than just about anything else. If your going to stick with traditional style hawks......then broken handles are just part of the game. You will run into that quite abit. You can find suppliers online however I'm not up to date on them. Learning to make your own can be fun and rewarding as well.

Your cast head will hold up just fine the way it is.

I would also encourage you to take a look at some mid priced modern tomahawks as well. You may spend a little more up front but they are much more durable in the handle department. A one piece design will be very unlikely to ever fail while throwing and if you step it up another notch to the higher end tomahawks......some of those are virtually indestructible.

The VTAC uses a synthetic handle that will last a lifetime and was designed to be a thrower/fighter/breacher as well. The balance is perfect and the hawk is bombproof. These can be found for just over a $100. Great value and extremely lively in the hand. The designer spent a lifetime studying the design and function of a tomahawk and built this accordingly.

If you plan on sticking with traditional style Hawks......there are plenty of guys here that know way more than I do about them....... however if more contemporary style Hawks appeal to you then I can probably offer some sound advice and direction.

There are a lot of great and fun designs out there. Take some time to research them online and read plenty of reviews so you can match your choice for your application.
 
Tomahawk Handles are considered a consumable item. If you want to throw you will consume them rapidly. Buy a few extra handles to have handy, and keep using head you have, it will do just fine for learning. While the solid steel Tac hawks handles don't break, they do wreak havoc on the edge it you "stick" the handle. I'm not sure or parts availability on the plastic ones like SOG and United. Once you get more skill and are ready to move up the food chain you will have a better understanding of which direction you want to go.
 
I have a smoking hawk in progress now. Bowl and bowl stem are removable from the head. I will have one drilled 22" haft (handle) in American hickory for smoking and general use and as a working hawk and additional hafts for throwing duties. This way the abuse if throwing will not be placed on a haft that has been drilled for smoking. Also, the weakened pole (hammer head) will be removed (screwed off) when throwing so as not to be broken off on pole strikes. I am really looking forward to the first bowl ;-) Regards,
 
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