thinking about tiny choppers

S

siguy

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Aug 26, 2006
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today i was handling my ball peen hammer with an 8oz head and around a 16" handle and thinking about oldjimbo's comments on hatchets with small heads coupled with long handles and decided that i wanted to try one.

i remember hearing about "mouse hawks" or something similar before, but don't see too much around...does anyone have any handy links?

i was also thinking about the vaughn sounding hatchet, that's what jimbo used and i think it could be fun.

i am looking for something with a headweight of around 8oz...plus or minus one or two. i don't mind thinning and sharpening, i do it everything i get... mainly i am looking for good steel, good heat treat and good size/pattern.

i'm also interested in a fairly wide bit, something like the CS frontier vs the CS trailhawk.

any suggestions?
 
I'm new to this forum, but here are a couple that I have made:
3/16" thk A2 tool steel, 2-1/2 in wide.
IMG_1047.jpg

This one is the same dimensions except for the longer neck:
IMG_0959.jpg
 
HD-thank you for the offer, but i want to get one or two of my own so that i can heavily modify them to suit my preferences...i want to try something like an 18" on a blade the size of the GB mini hatchet. thanks though... what are your favorite small choppers though? i know you have the GB mini you mentioned in WSS recently...what are some others that you like?

Blade User-good looking little choppers, they remind me of the busse paul's hatchet blade, pretty cool.
 
blade_user said:
I'm new to this forum, but here are a couple that I have made:
3/16" thk A2 tool steel, 2-1/2 in wide.
IMG_1047.jpg

This one is the same dimensions except for the longer neck:
IMG_0959.jpg
Click to expand...


more info on the make please.....I have been looking for one that small for a while now...the short one....
 
stephen, good looking little hawk, like all your stuff, but i am thinking of a wider bit (like the beard on the bottom, but on both sides) and even a lighter weight head...

my main goal with that design would be a very light little chopper that would feel weightless on the belt or in a bag, but would pack alot of punch when swung. i would want the wide bit to maximize possibly chip size with fewer strikes, but i would also want a pretty good curve to it, to give a fair amount of penetration into the wood due to the small contact area. i suppose if i get a forge running i could try my hand at this sort of thing, hopefully someday soon...
 
How about Wetterlings mini hatchet?
It came shaving sharp,made of good steel and with a nice leather sheath.It holds a very good edge.Light weight and it chops well for it's size. I like it more than GB mini and cost half of the GB MINI.
all the best
 

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more info on the make please.....I have been looking for one that small for a while now...the short one....
Click to expand...

I made these for my own amusement. They are ground from 3/16" A2 tool steel. The small one is 2-1/2" x 7" with a 3" cutting edge. They have been tempered at 400degF for an approximate edge hardness of 60Rc. The small one is realy more of a slicer/ulu type than a chopper as the short neck really limits the chopping action.

IMG_1048.jpg
 
csaba, do you have approx dimensions on that? is it the same size as the GB mini or is the regular small hatchet size? (around 13" handle)
 
It is 12 5/8'' long, axehead 5 1/4" wide, 2 7/8" cutting edge. Weighs 1.25pounds.It is lightweight but chops well .I did a test side by side with the GB mini and I like it more than the mini.Now the mini is gone but the Wetterlings is a keeper.If you want to purchase one give me a pm and I can give you a place to buy it.Take care
 
csaba, thanks for the info...i am looking for something a little smaller though. i will keep that in mind in the future though.
 
This on only serves as a paperweight but it would do the job if needed. Not sharpened. (Garner - forged small ball peen hammerhead.)

................

Garnerhawkandbussedaba-c.jpg
 
that's a cute little hawk, looks to be about exactly what i'm looking for, but i would prefer a hammer poll.

thanks for sharing.
 
maybe a kentucky belt axe, though i don't know what the head weight is

http://www.chickadeetc.com/tomahawks.html

the vaughan supersportsman is probably your best bet - they are really small and light, you can carry it in a jacket pocket an not even know it's there

they're made for sounding trees - not actually chopping wood, so the quality control isn't top notch. the one i bought had a misaligned head - but if you're going to hang a new handle anyways then that doesn't matter. the vaughan's have really small eyes - i've read of people breaking the handles.

i have one of the brkt-modified vaughan supersportsman's - it is an amazing chopper for it's size.
 
akennedy-a question about the BRKT vaughan...what mods, if any, did they do besides regrinding the head? for instance, did they grind out the eye hole or replace the handle, etc?

thanks
 
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