Re-handling a Tomahawk. Whats the best way to determine ideal handle/shaft length?

[Tamer]

Im guessing just to go a tad on the long side (around 22 inches) then cut it down as I see fit? I am a pretty strong person. 5'10 175 in shape (wrestler). I have read some articles on the subject that I should hold the tomahawk in my hand (open palm) and then the handle should end at my elbow. However, I have pretty stubby forearms so my handle would be quite short.

Some youtube video hosts mention that they prefer the hawk to be a tad on the long side to they have the 2 arm option. Another thing is if I wanted a shorter hawk (for whatever reason) couldnt I just choke up on the handle and the wood below my hand just balances it out more? Also the CS frontier hawk is 22 inches long as well. My tomahawk head however is a bit more heavy duty is by Steven Liley at Coal Creak Forge.

Im not planning on throwing the hawk but I found this chart.

Any advice would be great.

 

[stevep]

cold steel provides a 20" handle on their hawk and i use that for throwing just fine. i'm 5'6". after using a 20" for awhile you can really tell the difference when you go to an 18 or 16". my last custom order from H&B i had them ins all a 20" instead of their normal 18". the balance of the cold steel frontier with the 20" is very nice.

 

[the possum]

What ever happened to Vector001? Haven't seen him around in ages. His rule of thumb for general purpose, was that a tomahawk should weigh 1 ounce per inch of length. So if you have a hawk that's 22" long, it should weigh 22 ounces (total with head & haft) in the end. I suppose you'd have to do some reverse engineering or trial & error to figure it out.

I generally prefer them on the longer side. A 'hawk head should be lighter than a hatchet, so by using a longer handle you get more speed to make up for the lack of mass. I like your idea of starting long and cutting off a little at a time until it feels right.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

Tamer, your suspicion is right. Start long and gradually cut the down until "they feel right". It's not just arm length, forearm length or height. It's all the little pieces put together. Also the length will be determined by your usage of the hawk - chopping vs throwing, also WHAT you are chopping may dictate the best handle size.

Since you indicated that this is not going to be a throwing hawk, I take this to mean it will be a wood chopping hawk. Get a bunch of scrap 2x4s and commence to chopping. Don't chop just 1 board at some length (assume 22") and say "OK, this is doable." Ideally, you would try several lengths on several 2x4s to see which length gives you the best control, as well as the best chopping results. Good control of where the head hits is more important than the size of the chip a hawk produces. Safety first, say the EMT

If you ever get into throwing for fun and exercise, I recommend chopping the handle down to 13.5" or 14". I started out throwing 22" hawks because that it what came with them. I looked at the IKTHOF rules and 14" (later reduced to 13") was the minimum allowable, so I figured I was legal. I could do OK, but the distances for all spins increase with handle length. My distance for 3 spin was nearly 39 feet. I was standing outside the throwing pit at the IKTHOF US Nationals.

At my first throw, the 2015 IKTHOF US National Championship tournament, the next closest thrower had 17" handles. The emcee (Jack Dagger, host of "Top Shots") ragged on me with comments like "Well, here's Gator with the longest handles ever used in competition." and "Hey, Gator, does Paul Bunyon know you stole his axes?"

The 2014 winner (and eventual 2015 winner as well) explained some stuff and showed me what he had done. I mimicked his work that night and the next morning had to figure out my distances for the afternoon hawk throwing. By cutting the handles down to 13.5" (and also making a couple of other mods), my 3 spin distance dropped to about 27 feet. My first day score didn't break 100 on either round. Second day, which was my first day with the shorter handles, I scored 121. Shorter distances equal better scores.