specs for a hawk

J

jraney

Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
77
simply put, i have very little knife or hawk making experience but i would really like to try making a hawk. here is what i have in mind, 2 peice design where the handle is attatched to the head by screws or small bolts, the head i would like for it to be 5-6" in length, chopperon 1 end and spike on the other. i think i could get by with 1/4" head thickness, i am not sure, this it where i need direction. how thick, what kind of metal ( i would like this to be as inexpensive as possible) this will mainly be just for my enjoyment, nothing life threatning or anything, but with that said i would like for it to be able to withstand abuse. if you all could give examples of what i need for this it would be great.

thanks, j
 
I would simply look to existing hawks that fit into what you have in mind. Start off with a good steel, why put work into something like this just to realize you should have used the right steel. There are many steels that will work, just depends on what materials you will be expecting it to cut or bash through.
With a design like you are talking, the weakest part will be the screws, bolts, or fasteners. Look at the offerings from American Kami, the Nemesis Knives LMAX, and others that are "bolt on" designs.
S7 is awesome for breaching axes and hawks, it's got lots of impact resistance. The LMAX is S7 bolted to an aluminium handle.
If you want more utility, or a fighter then use 5160, 1075, 1080, 1084, 01, A2, or even leaf springs from a chevy truck. Key is the Heat treat for your steel, you have to get that right, or it won't hold an edge, or could be too brittle. There lots of places that can do that for you, once you have the basic shape, holes and grind.
 
hey thanks for the info. what about the thickness? i will also look into those you mentioned, it does not have to be bolted on, that is just the only way i could do it, since i do not have a forge to make it all 1 piece.
 
That all depends on how much head weight you want. Winkler RnD Hawk is 3/8" thick, but the tang tapers down the handle. A 3/8" thick, one piece hawk, without tapering the handle makes for a somewhat heavy hawk. You could just buy a big chunk of steel, and file the excess away, hope your arms are strong!

Mr. Winkler has to mill all that excess steel away from the tang, aka Stock Removal, that takes the right tools and lots of time. Scott Roush just did a forge welded hawk that's worth looking at, just look through the Axe, Tomahawk, and Hatchet forum. He also did another that was hot riveted, head to handle.
All these are beyond my tools, experience, and skills, as they stand. It's great to learn how to do these thing, but takes lots of commitment. If you have the tools to do stock removal, someone else can do your heat treat, then you can sharpen, polish, and do the handle.
Just be careful when doing your testing, wear some gloves and eye protection. I do that with all my hawks anyway, I go full force quite often. Good luck!
 
.250" is good thickness for penetrating and cutting in to stuff but does not split wood well at all. For a first attempt I'd use 5160. It's cheap to buy, easy to heat treat well and really tough. L6 would be another option not mentioned yet
 
hey thanks again for the info. i found out about the stock removal when i made my knife that i have not yet finished, anyhow with a small file things can take awhile. i need to get some more tools myself, but i will say that i feel as if i can do this with time and the experience i have, it may not be pretty but it should be functional, and to me that is really what matters, not to say that looks are not important though. well if anybody has any more info please let me know.

thanks
 
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