S30V vs D2 in Tomahawks?

cotdt

cotdt

Joined
Oct 2, 2006
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Which steel is better for some heavy wood chopping? Both steels being 56-58 HRC and a somewhat acute bevel (because that's what I prefer).
 
1095, A2 would be my choices

the hi-perf steels are simply just too brittle when used in an enviroment where there is heavy force applied to the edge and often at unusal angles that change from blow to blow.
 
Thank you again Spidyman! Martensitic steels aren't for tomahawks unless you're just showing them off. D-2 would work if the heat treat is right, however 1095 is a great high carbon steel, forged well makes a great throwing piece. I've thrown a tomahawk for years until my rotor cups in the shoulders gave out.
 
kamagong said:
Neither. You want a tougher steel than S30V or D2 for a tomahawk.
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Why? It will only be used for chopping wood, not much toughness is needed. It's not going to diepunch metal at high impact or anything. I would prefer stainless steel, so that I can keep it shiny.
 
It's not that it's only chopping wood, it's that it is chopping anything at all. Spidyman is absolutely correct---impact forces that hit the blade from strange angles over and over again are very punishing for steel at high hardness---there's a reason you don't see many 3/16" thick tomahawks. At 3/8" thick they STILL break from time to time. You generate a lot more momentum (and thus impact force) having all the weight out at the end like that than you do swinging a bowie or machete. The only thing making a hawk out of either S30V or D2 will achieve will be to exacerbate this problem, and increase the price many times over (as it would be a pain in the ass to make out of these wear-resistant steels for a stock removal maker and I bet you'd have a hard time finding anybody to forge it for you). If you want an appropriate hawk head material and want relatively good stain resistance look at S7. It's in about the same rust resisting league as D2 and was actually designed as a steel for impact use.
 
oldscrimmer said:
Thank you again Spidyman! Martensitic steels aren't for tomahawks unless you're just showing them off. D-2 would work if the heat treat is right, however 1095 is a great high carbon steel, forged well makes a great throwing piece. I've thrown a tomahawk for years until my rotor cups in the shoulders gave out.
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Haha good one. Thanks for the post!
 
:barf: S30V would be better out of that pair. But I'd rather take a nice carbon (1095) instead.
 
their right . d2 isn't a very tough steel. i have seen a strider in s30v take a good beating but it's nowhere near as tough as a tool steel or a carbon steel. 1095 etc would be a much better and cheaper choice. just make sure u take care of the blade from corrosion.

Roger999 said:
Do you have any pics of the said D2 Tomahawks that have shattered? I could imagine lots of chips, but shattering sounds absurd, it's steel at 56-58RC, not glass.
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yea i don't see an axe blade shattering either. they are thick. chips in the edge are much more likely .
 
massive chips, chunks even. I call a nub or two along the edge a chip. When half the edge snaps off I call it shattering. You won't see a picture of a tomahawk shattered in these steels because anyone that would make or buy such a hawk wouldn't use it in the field, it'd sit in their collection.
 
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If you need stainless steel try a 440B , I have a kukri made of that and it works well .Something like 154CM or even S30V if tempered back to 55 HRc would work also.
 
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