Question Re: CS Trail Hawk

hawks in general are extremely useful, and a whole lot of fun to throw. I bring mine whether I need it or not (I carry an RC5 and a 12 inch machete as well) just to throw when I happen upon a dead tree.
 
Fonly, please forgive my ignorance ut how do you about fully attaching the head on a 'hawk ?? Are you saying to use a wedge to keep the head in place or possibly a set screw of some sort thu one side of the head ?? I'm not sure I understand what you mean ..:o
 
Tuxdad said:
Fonly, please forgive my ignorance ut how do you about fully attaching the head on a 'hawk ?? Are you saying to use a wedge to keep the head in place or possibly a set screw of some sort thu one side of the head ?? I'm not sure I understand what you mean ..:o
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Thats exactly what I mean, there is a hole on the right side of the head that holds a small screw that comes with the hawk. Just put in a new one, heaver duty one, then wedge the head.
 
Joezilla actually used mine at a campout split a log axe style and he felt it worked fine. We both worried it was gonna break however with the force of the whack he gave it, but it took the punishment. This was after I did a epoxy strip and file work on it. A good Hawk by any means.
 
Just got one for myself over christmas, I like it but I prefer the shape of the frontier hawk, more traditional looking, but the trail hawk has a thinner edge profile. I got them mainly for throwing, but they would work great for bush work, very tough and packable.
 
Love mine but tomahawks are listed as "illegal weapons" according to Texas state law. So mine doesn't travel with me anymore. :mad: Stupid laws against tools. :mad:
 
The Trail Hawk is an awesome addition to your woods gear. As stated it doesnt chop as well as a hatchet but it does the job and it is a little bit lighter than a hatchet. The other good thing about the Trail Hawk is it is only about $25!!! For 25 bucks, if you dont like it you can always sell it and get most of your money back!!


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GhostWolf said:
Love mine but tomahawks are listed as "illegal weapons" according to Texas state law. So mine doesn't travel with me anymore. :mad: Stupid laws against tools. :mad:
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even after Custer executed 5,000 indian woman and children in palo duro canyon there's still anti-indian sentiment in Texas. Some things never change. I loved living in San Antonio, and Houston sucks, but some things about the history and tradition down there really peeve me.
 
I use the CS norse hawk, so far it has been my favorite chopping tool. It bites deep, cuts well and is light enough to carry. Chris
 
Fonly said:
Thats exactly what I mean, there is a hole on the right side of the head that holds a small screw that comes with the hawk. Just put in a new one, heaver duty one, then wedge the head.
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Thanks, which makers have the hole in the sides of the head ?? Is it hard to drill and tap them for this set screw ?? Sorry I'm a noob when it comes to 'hawks'...
 
you really just need to wedge it on the haft nice and tight, the more "secure" it is the more likely it is to break, the head on a hawk moves for a reason. If you find it becomes to loose then knock it down with a rock. And if you feel an absolute need to have it 150% solid then get something with a composite handle just my 2 cents
 
The trail hawk works well.

I use Vec hawks which use trail hawk heads.

If you're going with a standard trail hawk, consider ordering one of their 30" replacement handles, and cutting it to 24" or so -- big difference in handling, and IMO it works better than the shorter handle.

Keep in mind that the rule of thumb employed by tomahawk user is to use wood the diameter of your wrist or smaller. They were never meant to fell, buck, or split trees. That's what a full-on axe is for..
 
Tuxdad said:
Thanks, which makers have the hole in the sides of the head ?? Is it hard to drill and tap them for this set screw ?? Sorry I'm a noob when it comes to 'hawks'...
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Do you mean the CS models, if so, as far as I know all of them.

If you going to do this though, you need to make sure your going to put more than just a wedge in the head, doing that is only making the top thicker, and thats not enough to make the head stay put.

It's no trouble at all to drill the hole, the thing is, if you dont put the screw in, the head can still fall down the shaft when your using it. their made to lossen some when they hit because they are made to throw. If your not throwing it, you want the head to stay put, other wise the head will be coming loose in the middle of chopping, and if its not a danger, its a major nuisance.
 
I didn't put a wedge in the head of my trail hawk. I did spend a fair bit of time hand-sanding the inside of the eye and shaping the handle so that the two fit together snugly. I also used a set screw. I toss a little allen key for it in my PSK when I'm on a longer hike, just in case I bust the handle and want to remove the head in order to fit a new one.

Those KR Hawks are the bees knees!

Best,

- Mike
 
if you spend a little time finishing the inside of the eye for a good fit you don't need to wedge the handle imo. cold steel puts the set screws on all their hawks now. my original rifleman did not come with it though so if you buy an older cs hawk it might not either.

magnussen's norse hawk mod has a small piece of paracord on it that he drives the head over to wedge it on tight. this allows easy removal to pack the hawk away easier when not in use. i've never tried it but it sounds like a good idea to me.

i have an old roger's rangers spike hawk from atc that has a wood handle on it. it got a little wiggle in it once so i gave it a good soaking of boiled linseed oil and that took care of the problem.
 
Darteres said:
How do they compare to a hatchet, like the 19" Wetterlings and GB? Obviously birds of different feathers, but still would be interesting to see.
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that's a pretty big question, so i am just going to bomb ya with some thoughts, brother, that might help.

..........

Trail Hawks heads alone weigh about 14 to 15 ounces, stock.

a proper tomahawk weighs about an ounce per inch of length, while a hatchet weighs more like an ounce to an ounce and a half per inch of length, to be optimized IMHO.

- so a 24 inch hawk with proper physics should weigh about 24 ounces, give or take ten percent;

...going lighter per inch will make the hawk more suited for combatives, while going heavier will make the hawk act more (in degrees) like a hatchet, then a Forest Axe, then a Poll Axe or Battle Axe, and so on, regulated by mass distribution of the total system.

since most handles are homogenous, you usually have unremarkable changes as you change lengths; Gen 1 endo-/exo-skeletal composite handles have two linear cavities, which allows us to milk the physics of the hawks letting them bite deeper, move faster, with little to no weight penalty and affording increased strength.

Hatchets tend to be better at nibbling though hardwoods compared to hawks, when used directly on the wood, but only show a real advantage in field chores over proper hawks when you are doing something big, again; directly with the tool to the wood;

an example of using a hawk to split wood would be to make smaller wood pegs (less than 2 inches in diameter) or wedges, and driving the wood through the wood that you wish to split. - the Indirect Approach at a good solution. - this can be a good practice in extreme cold, whether using a hawk or a hatchet, or something entirely different though.

hatchets like the GBs and Wetterlings are my favorites of their type because they have knife-like bits, similar to hawks, and can be used for some advanced field chores, just like the hawks i favor.

example.
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as folks get more interested in super tools, they are losing the Old Ways, and not being as technical when they can just bust through whatever they want.

maybe that's okay. - i just am carrying my tools most of the time, so hawks are about the lightest things i can carry that still get 'er done.

since good hatchet heads can be almost twice as heavy as a true hawk head, such as the Cold Steel Trail Hawk, the hawks can be much lighter, and more agile in a fight, if it comes to that.


don't get me wrong, i know hawks aren't for everyone - no need for a car camper to have a proper hawk when he can have a splitting maul IMHO;

:cool::thumbup:

i like Forest Axes a lot too, and i love big axes, but a proper long hawk is what i prefer because it weighs almost nothing when it has proper physics, has a huge return on what i can do with it, directly or indirectly, and takes much less energy to tote around on long walkabouts, which are about my favorite thing in the world when getting in the woods.

my Way is to save all the exertion for my work-outs back home - the field is not where i want to be getting hot and sweaty and wet and cold. - so a hawk and a machete and folding saw, with a smaller knife and a chisel will do whatever i have ever needed for extended periods in multiple environments and ecosystems. - and all that weighs less than one big chopper. i pack my ECO Hawk with a TOPS folding saw for a miniaturized version of this concept.

a hawk is kind of like a pocket knife to me - it is enough most of the time, and when it is not, technique fills in until i can get to a tool that is more specialized, like a large axe.

i guess i am kind of a hypocrite - i always raise my eyebrows in concern when folks go to the woods with just a folding knife, but i don't think twice about going to the woods with just a little hawk.


at any rate,

our BUG heads weigh about 11 ounces, and are modified Trail Hawks. i try to improve the physics of the hawks by making the composite Gen 1 handles more massive internally at the ends, so that the hawks turn faster and bite deeper. - that's another distinction between a hatchet or Belt Axe - a true hawk has a smaller bit, which gives it more PSI.

so no one has to ask; BUG heads.
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an axe chops.

a hatchet hacks.

a hawk pecks.

a good hawk should be like a flying chisel on the end of a string that hits its mark every time due to good physics and ergonomics.

this is all hard to grasp until you try the right one usually.

HTH.


one more thought;

a lot of folks will call almost anything with a slip handle a tomahawk, and that's too bad IMHO;

one way that hawks really start strutting their stuff over other choppers is when you are chopping less vertically and more horizontally - a proper hawk usually has a trailing mass, like a hammer poll or a spike, which assists in tracking quite a bit.

other good tools take advantage of this same physical trait, like my headhunter brethrens' aliwah;

it has a trailing inertial mass which allows it to track much like a tomahawk. - as an aside, my experience with the Isnag aliwah happens to be why i am making tomahawks today.

aliwah. they have physics much like a proper long hawk.
Aliwah%20023.JPG


without the trailing masses, the center of mass of a tool is generally forward, so you can get sort of a flop-feeling to the chopper, and be more prone to glances and misses due to fatigue.


summary.

vec, ya whackjob, what's the bottom line?

the major differences between a hatchet and a hawk (IMHO as someone who has put hafts on hundreds of both) include but are not limited to;

1) a proper hawk has about an ounce of mass per inch of length, while a hatchet is heavier; a good 19 inch hawk will weigh about 19 Ounces, while a good 19 inch hatchet will weigh more like 24 ounces to two pounds.

2) a hawk will have a trailing mass, an inertial body which assists in target indexing and tracking along all planes;

while a hatchet usually has the head's mass distribution all on the side of the bit.

3) a proper hawk will have a smaller bit, about two to three inches, while a good hatchet will be three to maybe five inches in some cases.

4) a hatchet tends to be more wedge-like in bit cross-section, while a hawk will be more like a knife, in their purist forms.

these are generalities.


sorry to talk your ear off, brother - i just love hawks.

hawk-O-maniac vec
 
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