Tomahaxe desgn

[daizee]

This has been driving me crazy, so I've finally drawn it out.
I want a small axe or a tomahawk to carry in/on my hunting/hiking pack. It will be used for clearing sapplings and small branches for shooting lanes, or other minor maintenance. It should be capable of splitting kindling, light chopping (prolly 2" max given the design and size) and for carving when choked up. It will NOT be for throwing.
It could have a boy's axe eye or a normal tomahawk eye. I'm leaning toward the hawk at the moment.

The shape is familiar, but hard to find pre-made, and I think I want this one to be made to my spec, or close enough to it. There are design references to a WCF hawk (on their site which I love), some GB cues, a Japanese bearded hatchet, etc. in the picture. I figured working out most of the measurements would make it much easier to communicate with a smith when the time comes. At first I wanted to have it made, then post pictures to show it off. Then I realized that exclusivity buys me nothing, and if there are more out there they will be more affordable. If anyone does choose to make this, please give a pointer to the original spec, but otherwise this is clearly open source.

I'd like your thoughts on draft 1!

-Daizee

 

[daizee]

oops, mods please move. THis was supposed to be in the axe subforum!

 

[Double Ott]

Having a background in axes and hatchets and owning 100+ of them, this as close to the perfect hawk as one can get.







Sorry, but I'm so thrilled with this hawk, I just had to include my .02.

Tom

 

[daizee]

Double-O, I have admired that one of yours in other threads!
What I would change is to give it a longer edge vertically, and a bit less horizontally, if that makes sense. How much does that head weigh?

 

[Polarclaw]

I love it! I would probably change that beard's bottom a little bit but that's just me. I'd buy that for sure. And I think the boy's axe eye seems to fit the best.

 

[shortwinger]

Daizee,

It is hard to ask this question without sounding a bit sarcastic but please understand that I am being serious. Have you found a reputable hawk that will not fulfill your needs? Your stated uses are "It will be used for clearing sapplings and small branches for shooting lanes, or other minor maintenance. It should be capable of splitting kindling, light chopping (prolly 2" max given the design and size) and for carving when choked up."

Virtually every one of the Cold Steel models would excel at all of those tasks and if you want something higher end then you can go with companies such as Twohawks, Wolf Creek, Fort Turner, H&B Forge etc etc. It would be hard to imagine any of the hawks made by any of the companies mentioned above failing at any of the tasks you mentioned. And they offer such a wide variety of shapes, sizes, designs and weights that certainly one would fit your liking.

You can also go the traditional axe company route with companies such as Gransfors Bruks, Wetterlings, Estwing and even Fiskars is making a fantastic little hatchet that is avialable every-fricken-where! Lots and lots of very good reviews available on youtube for all of them.

 

[daizee]

Daizee,

It is hard to ask this question without sounding a bit sarcastic but please understand that I am being serious. Have you found a reputable hawk that will not fulfill your needs?

A fair question, to which I have answers:

1) I want a forged, American or European-made tool, and I'm willing to pay for it. I don't have any custom blades or axes because I make my own knives and have filled out my axe family with quality refurbishments, so I'm willing to commission one piece.

2) I don't like the cold steel products. The blades are too short (sharpened edge) or the polls are too small, etc. They're a great value, sure. For a throwing toy the Frontier hawk is excellent, but for what I want none of them fit the bill. Besides, I think their marketing in generally is terribly irresponsible. No, I don't want to customize it - I want the right thing from the get-go.

3) 2hawks are pretty, but not the dimensions I want. I also don't want to pay for high-end finish work that will just make me sad when it gets beat up, or discourage me from using it. The bearded design really appeals to me for hand-carving work and for light clearing as it provides a wider target surface. WCF makes nice stuff, and perhaps I will order from them if they will take a to-spec order. Not all makers will. I don't, for instance. The H&B's look like a great alternative to the CS catalog, and are closer to what I want (good little poll), but I'd prefer the blade closer to the handle and extended down further.

4) GB, Wetterlings, Estwing, and Fiskars are production companies and they are not offering what I want. It's not a question of 'will it do the job'. It's 'will it do the job and will I love it'. The bearded style has me by the gut and I don't want to settle.


Polarclaw, I'm leaning towards the boy's axe eye as well - the main problem is that boy's axe handles are generally too long, and the dimensions of the shoulder make choking up under the head uncomfortable. I'm torn on this. Maybe it's an excuse to have one of these made AND one of the wcf or h&b 'hawks.

 

[JayGoliath]

Pic taken from Göran Enocksson

 

[M3mphis]

2) I don't like the cold steel products [...] Besides, I think their marketing in generally is terribly irresponsible.

Cold Steel's marketing is the reason I will not own a single one of their products.

 

[M3mphis]

Maybe you can take some cues from the GB bearded axe:

 

[daizee]

Pic taken from Göran Enocksson

That's pretty serious. do you have one of those?

Maybe you can take some cues from the GB bearded axe

That's one of the influences in the drawing, along with the two-lug bearded axe. It's about twice as heavy as I'm after.. I'd swing the hell outta that puppy... It's also very expensive. My suspicion is that a domestic (USA in this case) 'smith could do something similar at a rather more affordable price. The historical low-volume GB stuff is way expensive compared to their bread and butter models.

 

[JayGoliath]

Daizee,

I don't have anything from Goran but i do have one from Cegga.

 

[ron_m80]

Have you looked at the Winkler hunters axe?

 

[daizee]

Daizee,
I don't have anything from Goran but i do have one from Cegga.

That Cegga is beautiful, especially on the straight haft. Looks like about a 2lb head, is that right?

Ron, I'm not interested in full-tang or anything particularly modern. It's expensive to operate on that much steel and to mate and finish handles like that. I could make a stock removal hawk myself, but I think it's an excessive use of steel and it won't have good splitting geometry further up the head.

 

[ron_m80]

Something more like a BestMade Company Hudson bay axe then?

 

[Square_peg]

Cool idea.

Is a hatchet handle too small for your plan? Have you considered using a standard sized handle for easy replacement? Maybe an 18" scout axe handle or a 19" house axe handle.
http://www.househandle.com/products.html#scout

It would be hard to find a ready-made axe similar to yours but with a hardened poll. I wish more makers hardened their polls. It would be easy to do with the concentrated heat of an induction forge.

 

[daizee]

Something more like a BestMade Company Hudson bay axe then?

Best Made is painting the handles on Council Tool axes and selling them for an extra premium to New Yorkers.

Besides it's too heavy and too long. I have 4 axes and 2 hatchets. I want something else.

 

[M3mphis]

That's one of the influences in the drawing, along with the two-lug bearded axe. It's about twice as heavy as I'm after.. I'd swing the hell outta that puppy... It's also very expensive. My suspicion is that a domestic (USA in this case) 'smith could do something similar at a rather more affordable price. The historical low-volume GB stuff is way expensive compared to their bread and butter models.

Yeah, I agree with you 100%. I was just meaning you might find inspiration for styling cues. You may also enjoy checking out Svante Djarv's axes. I've been drooling over the little viking axe for carving.

Personally, I would prefer an axe eye to a hawk eye without question.

 

[daizee]

Yeah, I agree with you 100%. I was just meaning you might find inspiration for styling cues. You may also enjoy checking out Svante Djarv's axes. I've been drooling over the little viking axe for carving.

Personally, I would prefer an axe eye to a hawk eye without question.

Wow, those are nice....

Why would you prefer an axe eye?
The standard American boy's axe eye would work, but is it the right choice? Are there standard hatchet eyes?

 

[M3mphis]

Wow, those are nice....

Why would you prefer an axe eye?
The standard American boy's axe eye would work, but is it the right choice? Are there standard hatchet eyes?

Primarily because you can shape the handle however you want. A hawk eye requires that the entire handle be small enough to pass through the eye. IMO that's a HUGE downside. You have to balance between an unnecessarily large eye and a tiny (or non-existent) grip swell.