the tomahawk

[Wave Man]

First off I have to say I love tomahawks, and IMO should be included in a 3 tool EDC bush carry(were appropriote)(the 3 tool set up is my variation on the nessmuk ideal, 1 bowie type knife, 1 utility knife and a light hawk, and with that carry option I am assuming you also carry a pocket knife and a SAK/multi tool/folding saw)
My preferred hawk is the Cold Steel trail hawk, it is light(19oz) and is well made and affordable. There are many mods you can do to the trail hawk, but I am yet to do any thing other then sharpen(putting a near shaving sharp convex edge on her), wrap the handle in paracord and fit a kydex sheath to mine). Another version would be the CS pipe hawk(it is slightly heavier, tho I reckon it may be about the ideal "Hawk", I will be getting one soon)

and here are a couple of my favorite hawk vids.
[video=youtube;6pvv97vPLHk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pvv97vPLHk[/video]
[video=youtube;TMEijASqElE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMEijASqElE&feature=related[/video]

 

[Shane]

I personally don't care much for tomahawks/hatchets and so on. I can baton easy enough and between my knife and folding saw don't find too much that has me wishing I had another tool. It's probably paranoia but I'm always wary of how easy it is to have an accident when processing with a tomahawk.

 

[Corin]

First off I have to say I love tomahawks, and IMO should be included in a 3 tool EDC bush carry(were appropriote)(the 3 tool set up is my variation on the nessmuk ideal, 1 bowie type knife, 1 utility knife and a light hawk, and with that carry option I am assuming you also carry a pocket knife and a SAK/multi tool/folding saw)

Holy smokes! you carry more sharps than those little yellow buckets in pathology

Seriously though I always wanted a good little tomahawk.... one day I will forge one.

 

[Wave Man]

Holy smokes! you carry more sharps than those little yellow buckets in pathology

I just love knives, and IMHO you can't have enough of them. A knife is very hard to replicate from scratch in the bush, and they do occasionally break, or at least go blunt. If you carry multiple knives this isn't a problem.

 

[graybear]

You need to chat with LeLoup. He is the tomahawk king... He is an 18th century re-enactment guy?... I'm not a big fan of the tomahawk for a practical tool, the axe trumps it any day... But there is a certain romanticism associated with the hawk for sure.

 

[Wave Man]

You need to chat with LeLoup. He is the tomahawk king... He is an 18th century re-enactment guy?... I'm not a big fan of the tomahawk for a practical tool, the axe trumps it any day... But there is a certain romanticism associated with the hawk for sure.

I already have mate, thanks for the suggestion tho. I subscribe to his youtube channel and converse on several forums that we both frequent.

IMO the tomahawk is vastly different to the hatchet, my thinking is thus, the tomahawk is primarily a fighting tool, that is light in the hand and fast, and can be used as a wood processor as a secondary ability. The hatchet is heavier, and is slightly shaped differently, and is primarily used as a tool for processing wood, and can be used as a fighting tool as a secondary ability.
here are more of my axes

 

[Templar]

The Tomahawk is often taken out of context by many outdoorsmen...

The 18th Century 'hawk was a very light weight piece of kit, it was used to split small wood for fire (old woodsmen wouldn't have dreamed of using their sharp knife to split wood... correct tool for the job), dismember game, hammer in stakes for shelter and traps, cut down small trees (about wrist thickness) and to protect the owner in close quarter combat.

Today too many try to use a 'hawk for the same jobs as an axe, they are different, and so get a bad impression of this great tool for the bush.

 

[Red23]

I have a Cold Steel Frontier Hawk on order with Ron, I look forward to getting it and getting to know it (hopefully it gets here in the next month, as I'm doing a bushcraft weekend in August)

I also use a Wetterlings small hatchet (13 inch handle I believe) and I would use the hawk for different purposes. I have come to realize that I have very little use for splitting wood when out roaming, I can find most of what I need and with a light baton would get the little I need for fire starting. The hawk for me would be for making shelter and defense against those pesky Kangaroos, whilst the hatchet would stay back at camp for processing firewood and looking good

 

[Red23]

Just watched that Dave Cantebury clip, I'll be chasing down one of his tomahawks asap!