Thinking of getting a tomahawk...

T

Tye Possum

Joined
Nov 16, 2009
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Ok so I've always liked the look of tomahawks but couldn't really find a place for them. I figured a knife would be fine for any smaller work and an axe would be better for the big stuff and although I liked them, I couldn't justify buying one. Now I'm thinking about it a little differently though...

The knife I have now is an RC-4 (bought before name change) and it's just about perfect for me (handles are a little thin though). The blade is a good size, not too big, not too small, so I'm comfortable using it. I don't have an axe yet but intend to get a full sized one for all my major firewood needs.

The problem with using a full sized axe is I'll probably leave it at camp or not bring it at all depending on the situation because of it's size. So although I like the size of my knife for regular knife work, as a stand alone tool it may not be enough (or maybe it would and I just want to buy another sharp piece of metal:rolleyes:).

In the summer I doubt I'll need a big fire to keep warm so bringing a big axe along into the woods seems like it might be overkill. I'd also like to have it on me when I leave camp so it's with me if I need it. I've thought about getting a bigger knife but I'm definately not interested in choppers, I much prefer a smaller knife and about the biggest I would get would be about 6.5" to7" (probably an ESEE-6) but then the RC-4 that I already have would be too close in size to that so I'd end up having to get a smaller knife as well. That option would be more expensive and still probably not nearly as good as a tomahawk would be.

So basically it sounds to me like a tomahawk would work for what I need it for. So what hawk do you think would be best? It'll be used for fairly light chopping (wrist sized wood maybe?), some light splitting and probably some sort of crafty stuff like making camp furniture (non-permanent) or maybe carving some utensils (bushcrafty stuff basically). I don't bring nails with me to the woods so I don't really see the need for a hammer poll apart from hammering in tent stakes but I could just use a log for that so it's not a big deal. I don't hunt at the moment but I plan on it in the future and I've heard that when sectioning/quartering/whatever certain game you may need a bit of a chopper sized knife or some sort of axe to get it done or get it done more easily so it might be used for that in the future as well.

At first I was looking at cold steel hawks but some people say they have quality problems like warped heads, bad grinds or bad tempering and there's always the problem with the hole in the side of the head. Although they may make good modding projects I don't have the tools for that sort of thing so I'd much rather spend a little bit more money for a better hawk. So now I'm thinking maybe a Fort Turner tomahawk would be better (heard at least one person say they liked them).

So what are your thoughts? and sorry for the huge post but I figured I might as well tell you what I was thinking to help you understand my need for a tomahawk.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with a Fort Turner Hawk. In addition, if you're looking for a decent knife (smaller then a chopper) consider a Swap Rat Ratmandu.
 
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Cold steel is fine, buy from a good dealer(not direct from cold steel of course), if they send you one that's messed up you can talk with the store owner and get a replacement.

You have to look past the hole in the head of course but that's just an aesthetic downside, those hawks do take a hell of a beating, it took me a long time and a big hammer to break one of my trail hawks. They aren't as bad as everyone says and they're probably your best bet for a cheap, small all around hawk.
 
Tye Possum said:
At first I was looking at cold steel hawks but some people say they have quality problems like warped heads, bad grinds or bad tempering and there's always the problem with the hole in the side of the head. Although they may make good modding projects I don't have the tools for that sort of thing so I'd much rather spend a little bit more money for a better hawk. So now I'm thinking maybe a Fort Turner tomahawk would be better (heard at least one person say they liked them).

So what are your thoughts? and sorry for the huge post but I figured I might as well tell you what I was thinking to help you understand my need for a tomahawk.
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Cold Steel had some QC issues in the past. Not that they are perfect now, but they make stuff that is plenty usable. I'd think that one from the new line (New Frontier, Pipe, or Spike) hawks with their longer edge would be better for bushcrafty stuff, otherwise, their Trail Hawk is probably closer to what an original tomahawk would weigh and be like size-wise.

Fort Turner hawks are very nice, Dana Turner forges them quite well and offers them at a good price. My only real gripe with non-CS hawk is how short and narrow the hafts are, but some people aren't bothered by that.
 
Steve Liley at Coal Creek forge makes great hawks and is a great person to deal with.

Best regards

Robin
 
Cpl Punishment said:
... their Trail Hawk is probably closer to what an original tomahawk would weigh and be like size-wise.
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Depends on the time period and region. Larger, longer tomahawks were the norm on the early frontier but as time passed lighter and leaner tomahawks became common. By the 1830s they could be found in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
 
Thanks for the replies.

If the Cold Steel hawks really aren't that bad then I may get one of them. I can get them from a dealer in Canada so shipping costs probably won't be as much as from the U.S. and they're $10-$15 cheaper then a Fort Turner hawk, plus no insanely high customs fees (they always throw on a lot more money if it can be used as a weapon it seems).

I'm thinking the new frontier hawk might fit the bill, does anyone have experience with the new ones? I know they're not as smooth as they show them to be but are they useable out of the box? If not what would I have to do to make it useable?
 
Of course they're usable out of the box, you need to take the screw out of the side of the head though, if at any time that head tries to slide down the screw will destroy your handle. In my experience anyways.
 
Re: the set screw hole


I don't like it but there is a use for it. I drilled through it on a Norse Hawk and into the wood of the handle, epoxied a brass rod into it and peened it into the threads.

Been bashing and hacking stuff with it for weeks now and it's just as tight now as it was on Day 1.
 
Yeah it has it's purposes for a work hawk, the brass pin sounds like a good idea if all you're going to be doing is using it for chopping and what not. It's a pain in the hind for throwing though.
 
When you get a new CS hawk you will have to sharpen them properly unless you are only hacking cinderblocks. They will most likely not be sharp enough for decent wood work.

My recommendation is to toss the screw and rework that handle with sandpaper or something until you have a nice tight fit. That will be enough for work and play.

If you decide to pin the hawk like Wolf_1989 - which I wouldn't do - I would suggest you also improve the fit before you do that. If the head is wiggly and you have it pinned to the handle that way, you might very well split your handle on a powerful strike.


Ookami
 
A metal file is all you really need to get a good edge on the CS hawks. Heavy strokes to reprofile then lighter strokes to get the edge finer. Personally I'd then use sandpaper down to around 600 grit on the edge. Rust tends to accumulate faster in coarser scratch marks (when you wipe the edge after it gets wet, moisture will still be in those scratch marks). I also like the CS heads for the larger diameter hafts as well. I also second the Fort Turner hawks though. When/if you order one from Dana just ask if he can open the eye to fit CS hafts. If you don't need a hammer poll, you'll be getting just the edge only form or the spike version. I found the spike useful for rolling logs, rocks, climbing, digging, harvesting river cane or reeds by the roots (so I don't leave wooden pikes all over the place), and pulling up tin or other half-buried stuff I don't want the edge of the hawk near. The only downside to the spike hawks is the lack of convinient sheathing options. These can be found/improvised, and the CS at least does have a sheath option.
 
If you have a Dremel, you may want to lightly bevel the edges of the eye on a CS hawk. My Trail Hawk's eye had a sharp edge that would keep it from seating the handle all the way, so I took a dremel with a sanding drum attachment and "wallered it out" a bit and put a very slight bevel on the edges of the eye, and now it's tight as a drum.

I've used DMT folding sharpeners on my Trail Hawk to get a nice, smooth edge, and I've used this hawk in my vehicle kit several times to clear pine logs off of trails and fire roads. The narrow head bites deeply, and this hawk does big work for such a small blade size. Even though it doesn't have a beard, you can still hook logs and drag them with it if you do it just right.

I like that the handle doesn't taper, because with a tapered handle, you'll wear your hand out trying to hold onto the haft if you're using it for lots of chopping. The CS haft fills the hand well, and it stays put with light grip pressure.

Here's a couple of shots of the Trail Hawk at work.
1e0993c9.jpg


fea68e4c.jpg
 
Ookami said:
If you decide to pin the hawk like Wolf_1989 - which I wouldn't do - I would suggest you also improve the fit before you do that. If the head is wiggly and you have it pinned to the handle that way, you might very well split your handle on a powerful strike.
Click to expand...


I tried that as an axe-periment. I was mounting a Norse hawk onto a warhammer haft and found the internal dimensions of the eyes between the two are a good bit different. By the time I had altered the haft so it would fit perfectly flush, it did so... but almost all the way at the end of the handle (with only about 3/16" of the handle showing at the top of the head).

So yeah the head is nice and flush to the wood all around and I have been intentionally trying to knock it loose but so far it's solid.
 
Ok so file/dremel off the rough edges of the eye, remove the screw, sand the haft to fit the head properly, and sharpen it up. Sounds doable.

So is the screw the only thing holding the head on or am I gunna have to bash it off the haft to do all that sanding and filing? (gently bash;))
 
I use my trail hawk as a light weight backpacking / camping hatchet. I took out the allen screw and it is easy to take off the head from the haft. This lets me break it down and put it in my pack. The head is tight enough that with just a friction fit, I have to hit the bottom of the haft to take it back apart. Never had a problem with it coming loose while I was using it. YMMV....
 
Pipeman said:
Steve Liley at Coal Creek forge makes great hawks and is a great person to deal with.
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Am agree with Robin! Got one made by Steve and it works great for me! Furthermore it looks great because it's a damascus :thumbup:

Mohd.
 
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