splitting logs with hawk

crossada

crossada

Platinum Member
Joined
May 16, 2004
Messages
2,665
over the past month i have been experimenting with different cutting tools at my campsite. to be specific an ATC rr spike, Busse battle mistress E, and a hacksaw with sandvik steel blade.

the rr spike does quite well for chopping both big 6-7" diameter and smaller kindling. it will also drop a tree with out too much work but the saw can do this much more efficiently.

i have found that the bm-e will chop branches very nicely but for chopping through logs it takes to long and your hand begins to hurt. however the knife is essential for splitting the logs for the fire. i used a wood baton and with 5 or 6 good whacks you could split the log lengthwise.

my dilemma is i want to take just the hawk and a saw which i can do everything i need to do but how do i split the logs for the dry center? i know i could get a gb hatchet with hammer poll and be able to baton but i want the spike hawk. what would happen to the hickory handle if i hit it with another piece of wood? i don't want to break my handle and go to the trouble of carrying replacements.

need advice please :confused:
 
I think you would be a lot better off with a hatchet. What does the spike hawk do that you need while camping?

If you want to split wood, it's even easier with a splitting wedge. If you don't want to carry a steel wedge because of the weight, you can get plastic or aluminum wedges. You'd still need something to drive the wedge with, but that's where the hatchet comes in.

If you're absolutely set on just the hawk and the saw, then do what Cliff says, of course.
 
The only other option is to find, or have someone make for you, a 'splitting hawk'. That would be a hawk with a spike like you prefer, but with a thick, wedged shaped blade for splitting wood. I'm thinking the blade would have to be profiled similar to a splitting axe, although not as thick ....maybe tapering rapidly from the blade edge up to about 3/4" or so approaching the eye in the 2 1/2" or 3" of the blade's length. You would also have to increase the thicknes of the hawk's handle to facilitate prying it out of a log if it gets stuck without breaking the haft.
That should do the job quite nicely on logs under 12" or so in diameter.
 
i know the spike is a rather useless thing in the woods but i really love this hawk and i am willing to sacrifice efficiency to keep it.

i'm going to try what you said Cliff and see if this works better than the bm-e

if i were to pick up a splitting wedge would a heavy wood baton work or would i need a hammer?
 
Most wedges are really thick on the edge, hitting them with a baton would be like trying nails with a nerf hammer. The Gransfors wedge has a really thin edge, but even then I would not want to baton that with anything less than a framing hammer.

-Cliff
 
i did come across a review of the atc hawk where it was used to split wood by first using the edge to start a cut then drive the spike in and torque the handle to cause the split.

anyone tried this before?
 
The wood would have to be really easy to split, it takes a massive force to actually pull wood apart. You can actually use another piece of wood as a wedge. It doesn't even have to be wedged shaped. Awhile back I had to work on some really gnarly wood, it was seasoned, then wet, so the grain was all twisted and yet the axe would just mash it in with no splitting ability, it would just bind like mud. I often had to get the axe out, take a small stick and pound it into the crack.

-Cliff
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top