Thoughts on tomahawk (and other) haft manufacturing

[daizee]

I was wondering in the other thread why 'they' taper tomahawk hafts so steeply, since they really only need to widen near the top. Then I measured my new H&B 19" hawk haft, and realized that the bottom end of the handle appears to be very close to a mouse hawk eye size & shape. I don't have a mouse hawk. Can anybody with both a mouse hawk and standard hawk compare the two for us?

Is it possible manufacturers are making ~34" hafts and cutting them at the mouse hawk length to produce two from a single pattern?

As a related idea, has anyone every tried to get one of the domestic haft makers to produce a short run of custom hafts for any purpose? Presumably a model blank is required, if patterning lathes are still the way it's done.

Why? I'd love to see:

* full size 'hawk haft with minimal taper
* mouse 'hawk haft with minimal taper
* 34" straight hatchet haft for shepherd's axe
* 34" shouldered, kerfed full-size 'hawk haft with standard or minimal taper for shepherd's axe (could just do a wedge fit with any standard 'hawk)
* 34" shouldered, kerfed mouse 'hawk haft with standard or minimal taper for shepherd's axe (could just do a wedge fit with any mouse 'hawk)
* Whatever magical handle is required for the super-duper single-bit design on the other thread

 

[Kentucky]

I know that our supplier will make haft hafts to custom lengths if you order enough. Ive never asked about a different taper. they are made on a Klotz type lathe, Im sure it could be done..
Hawk handles are mostly different historically. They were not all or even most tapered. They were often round, or flat'ish..Really basically whatever shape the smith happen to make. Whatever shape the drift he happen to have. Ive studied a lot of historical hawks and axes. About the only ones that shared eye shape were trade axes that were produced in mass or produced in the same way, like welding them up in the bow tie method that tended to produce roughly the same eye shape.
On your mouse hawk, maybe it was crazy crow but a supplier like them had the top measurements of their hawk handles. Including the regular and mouse hawk. you could look there.