Norlund Hudson Bay hatchet eye size question

[Rancho5]

The head is a 15.8 ounce Norlund Hudson Bay and looks like a tomahawk. Being new to this world of axes and hatchets, and having hung several hatchets, the eye on this particular head is smaller than any that I have ever seen. If I hang it on a regular hatchet handle, I can't help but think it'll need to be rasped down so far that it'll look kind of weird...all thick at the neck and this tiny, petite looking head.

Any suggestions?

 

[Square_peg]

So rasp down the neck.

 

[Hickory n steel]

The head is a 15.8 ounce Norlund Hudson Bay and looks like a tomahawk. Being new to this world of axes and hatchets, and having hung several hatchets, the eye on this particular head is smaller than any that I have ever seen. If I hang it on a regular hatchet handle, I can't help but think it'll need to be rasped down so far that it'll look kind of weird...all thick at the neck and this tiny, petite looking head.

Any suggestions?

I'd shape down the whole handle, it's not like modern handles aren't usually too thick in general anyways.
BTW your hatchet is a Hudson bay pattern ( an axe pattern that existed long before norlund existed )
And norlund called it their voyager axe, the larger Hudson bay pattern boys axe was actually called the tomahawk for some reason. It appears that they miss named about everything except the saddle cruiser.

 

[phantomknives]

i'v had full size heads with eyes narrower than cruisers, it sucks but ya gotta do it

 

[300Six]

Choice and selection of axe handles at hardware stores is increasingly become meagre these days. Figure out what you're looking for and take a tape measure with you when shopping. If the eye is oversized on the handle you like this can easily be rectified with a wood rasp.

 

[Hacked]

What S Square_peg said. I guarantee you that the eye on this Vaughan is far narrower than the eye on your Norlund, even after I enlarged it. And I managed to haft it with a fat club from House Handles.


Mini Hatchet Rehandle by MJGEGB, on Flickr

Mini Hatchet fire by MJGEGB, on Flickr

12oz Vaughan Sportsman's Axe by MJGEGB, on Flickr

The end result is pretty nice in my opinion and well worth the effort.

 

[Rancho5]

Thanks for all the responses and for teaching me. I understand that I can rasp it down, the question I had was wouldn't simply rasping down a thick handle to fit into a small eye make the entire hatchet look ill proportioned? Big, thick looking neck and handle (rasped part invisible) and a tiny head?

 

[SC T100]

Yes, but that's why you thin the entire handle (or until you like the look).

 

[jblyttle]

I wouldn't recommend trying to carve a full sized axe handle from scratch with zero experience, and may not in this case either. But think about the possibility anyway. It's a small short handle and doesn't really need any fancy curves. It's the type of thing that you could try out with a free piece of firewood. If it doesn't work out, it's still firewood. No fancy tools required really that you wouldn't need to hang a ready made handle anyway.