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tune your hawkes for throwing.
- Thread starter LAD
- Start date
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found the script.
My thoughts on the hawke. Although I learned this from others who knew what they were talking about. Throwing the hawke can be great unless you do something to disable your best thrower. First off you need two throwers as close as possible to each other. I mean feel, handle length , feel of handle, cutter size, WEIGHT. The heads do not have to be forged but believe me if they look good to you they will throw the way you want them to. And if the heads are forged and tempered properly will stay sharp and not bend or break off. With bare heads get two maple straight grain handles. ( this may take some talking with a handle maker and maybe paying a couple bucks extra for a dozen straight grain hand picked shafts). Take two shafts that weigh alike, break a bottle and using a big piece of glass as a scraper shave and fit the heads to their chosen shaft. You want the head to stay put on the handle, no filler tape, sinew, glue or the like. When fit weigh each piece if one is lighter than the other get some lead wire like we use for steelhead fishing, cut weight needed and drill hole to fit lead in head end of handle. Plug hole with wood or epoxy so their is not chance the weight can get out of the hole. Now sit down with your piece of glass and shave and work the handles until you can not tell which one you pick up by feel. The best thrower i have known told me to make both handles have an index point the exact distance from the head. When your thumb or forefinger feels that dip you will know the orientation of your cutter without looking. Kinda like shaking hands with your best buddy make the handle fit you. Now take a good cutting saw and cut a 45 degree angle on the butt. (cutter side of Hawke) Leave the cut square on the sides to make it catapult ahead on a miss. A miss throw can many times be saved by the angle hitting the rounder and helping the cutter to stick. Throwing means putting up some log rounds in the back yard are practice, practice. If you use the 7 1/2 steps back turn and throw with a nice fluid motion it will stick. do that until it never fails then broaden out to more fancy stuff. But above all enjoy your self mates.
Some will think this is hog wash. If so don't read it.
My thoughts on the hawke. Although I learned this from others who knew what they were talking about. Throwing the hawke can be great unless you do something to disable your best thrower. First off you need two throwers as close as possible to each other. I mean feel, handle length , feel of handle, cutter size, WEIGHT. The heads do not have to be forged but believe me if they look good to you they will throw the way you want them to. And if the heads are forged and tempered properly will stay sharp and not bend or break off. With bare heads get two maple straight grain handles. ( this may take some talking with a handle maker and maybe paying a couple bucks extra for a dozen straight grain hand picked shafts). Take two shafts that weigh alike, break a bottle and using a big piece of glass as a scraper shave and fit the heads to their chosen shaft. You want the head to stay put on the handle, no filler tape, sinew, glue or the like. When fit weigh each piece if one is lighter than the other get some lead wire like we use for steelhead fishing, cut weight needed and drill hole to fit lead in head end of handle. Plug hole with wood or epoxy so their is not chance the weight can get out of the hole. Now sit down with your piece of glass and shave and work the handles until you can not tell which one you pick up by feel. The best thrower i have known told me to make both handles have an index point the exact distance from the head. When your thumb or forefinger feels that dip you will know the orientation of your cutter without looking. Kinda like shaking hands with your best buddy make the handle fit you. Now take a good cutting saw and cut a 45 degree angle on the butt. (cutter side of Hawke) Leave the cut square on the sides to make it catapult ahead on a miss. A miss throw can many times be saved by the angle hitting the rounder and helping the cutter to stick. Throwing means putting up some log rounds in the back yard are practice, practice. If you use the 7 1/2 steps back turn and throw with a nice fluid motion it will stick. do that until it never fails then broaden out to more fancy stuff. But above all enjoy your self mates.
Some will think this is hog wash. If so don't read it.
troy2000
45 Cal.
My dad used to make tomahawk heads from old car springs, with old-growth Douglas fir salvaged from demolition sites for the handles.
Most of us in the family had (and have) one. But as far as I know, only one of his hawks was ever in a competition, and my nephew Justin used it to win. It must've been a pretty amateurish bunch, though. All of the other throwers crowded the line, and failed to even stick the target. But Justin had paced off the distance - and when he took his turn he stepped back a couple of feet instead, and nailed the center of the round. He knew how far his tomahawk traveled with each turn...
He won an incredibly gaudy tomahawk, that no one in his right mind would ever try to throw.
Most of us in the family had (and have) one. But as far as I know, only one of his hawks was ever in a competition, and my nephew Justin used it to win. It must've been a pretty amateurish bunch, though. All of the other throwers crowded the line, and failed to even stick the target. But Justin had paced off the distance - and when he took his turn he stepped back a couple of feet instead, and nailed the center of the round. He knew how far his tomahawk traveled with each turn...
He won an incredibly gaudy tomahawk, that no one in his right mind would ever try to throw.
Notchy Bob
69 Cal.
Interesting material, @LAD . Thanks for posting!
I've never gotten into tomahawk throwing, but have read a little about it. This thread provides some details I had not heard before.
Comments regarding the angle cut at the end of the handle were surprising. I have seen this on some antique Missouri war axes, although the face of the angle cut on those was generally cut into little "steps" rather than a flat plane. I'll try to find a picture if anybody is interested. However, I thought the angle cut was just for aesthetics. I wasn't aware of a practical reason for it... Now we know!
Very informative! Thanks!
Notchy Bob
I've never gotten into tomahawk throwing, but have read a little about it. This thread provides some details I had not heard before.
Comments regarding the angle cut at the end of the handle were surprising. I have seen this on some antique Missouri war axes, although the face of the angle cut on those was generally cut into little "steps" rather than a flat plane. I'll try to find a picture if anybody is interested. However, I thought the angle cut was just for aesthetics. I wasn't aware of a practical reason for it... Now we know!
Very informative! Thanks!
Notchy Bob
Very interesting story. love itMy dad used to make tomahawk heads from old car springs, with old-growth Douglas fir salvaged from demolition sites for the handles.
Most of us in the family had (and have) one. But as far as I know, only one of his hawks was ever in a competition, and my nephew Justin used it to win. It must've been a pretty amateurish bunch, though. All of the other throwers crowded the line, and failed to even stick the target. But Justin had paced off the distance - and when he took his turn he stepped back a couple of feet instead, and nailed the center of the round. He knew how far his tomahawk traveled with each turn...
He won an incredibly gaudy tomahawk, that no one in his right mind would ever try to throw.
Feel, touch ,hand & eye coordination go a long way in throwing a hawk….
I always heard the handle length should match the measurement from the back of your elbow too the middle knuckle on a closed fist…
But nothing beats practice! Keep yer edge sharp!
I always heard the handle length should match the measurement from the back of your elbow too the middle knuckle on a closed fist…
But nothing beats practice! Keep yer edge sharp!
Notchy Bob
69 Cal.
@LAD's comments regarding the angle cut at the bottom end of the tomahawk handle interested me. A lot of old tomahawks and war axes had this feature. I don't know if any of these were used for throwing or not. I rather doubt it, at least for the ones with pendants hanging from the handle, which was pretty common. However, the angle cuts are there.
This first one is currently listed for sale on an auction site online. It has been attributed to the Pawnee, likely because of the decorative "star" motif:
They provide a good shot of the angle on the end of the handle. This one is cut smooth:
The next one is a classic Missouri War Axe, with the head made by Henri Pepin, possibly before 1820:
The end of the Pepin axe handle is cut in a "stairstep" pattern, as many were:
I don't have much detail on this last one. To me, it looks like a later production. The seller indicated the moon and star decorations were of brass, but you also see these with open cutouts in similar shapes. This one does have the angle cut in the end of the handle, with the "stairstep" carving. In the absence of decorative pendants, I suppose this one could have been thrown.
As noted previously, I didn't know (until now) that the angle cut had any practical function, but a lot of old trade axes and tomahawks had this feature.
Notchy Bob
This first one is currently listed for sale on an auction site online. It has been attributed to the Pawnee, likely because of the decorative "star" motif:
They provide a good shot of the angle on the end of the handle. This one is cut smooth:
The next one is a classic Missouri War Axe, with the head made by Henri Pepin, possibly before 1820:
The end of the Pepin axe handle is cut in a "stairstep" pattern, as many were:
I don't have much detail on this last one. To me, it looks like a later production. The seller indicated the moon and star decorations were of brass, but you also see these with open cutouts in similar shapes. This one does have the angle cut in the end of the handle, with the "stairstep" carving. In the absence of decorative pendants, I suppose this one could have been thrown.
As noted previously, I didn't know (until now) that the angle cut had any practical function, but a lot of old trade axes and tomahawks had this feature.
Notchy Bob
I know what the angle will do for making the hawke stick. for sure each has a angle which they feel is best. Also the blade length and cutter width makes a difference. I can also imagine what kind of damage that can be done when the piece was used as a weapon.
Very nice photos of very nice hawkes.
Very nice photos of very nice hawkes.
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