Wanting a piece of wood turned.

[S.Kenton]

I’m thinking about making a tomahawk, with that being said, I’m looking to get the handle turned on a lathe, but for the life of me i don’t know anyone who owns a wood lathe! This is a rather special project, I may also be asking/ looking for a nice pipe tomahawk head. I may just have the whole thing made.. lol.. who knows!! I know a few great gunmakers.. but no hawk makers.

 

[Crow#21957]

Get a good piece of curly maple and carve
One. Shouldn't be to hard.But having it done by a experienced hawk maker would be nice.

 

[oldramrod]

I have a wood lathe and could make it for you if you know the size you want.

 

[S.Kenton]

Get a good piece of curly maple and carve
One. Shouldn't be to hard.But having it done by an experienced hawk maker would be nice.

Your missing the point, this piece of wood that I’m wanting to work with is a special piece… I have a lot curly maple… I’m not even sure that turning it on a lathe would make an appropriate shaped handle for a hawk anyhow.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

all kinds of handles are tuned on a lathe. Most commercial hawk handles have both a taper and an oval cross section that slowly progresses to a tear drop cross section at the poll. I have been a wood turner for years. Turning such an item is an art that is now done mostly on cnc machines. I am just now getting into turning off center, which most turners never attemp, other than to make a crank shaft looking candle stick ....once. The next problem is curly maple is notoriously prone to tear out regardless of how sharp the tools. Even sanding over the waves of grain can cause tear out. It might require stabilization with an impregnating resin just to prevent tear out. I know enough to know that I am not your guy. There are a few guys that are specialists at eccentric turning. A fellow outside of PHila, named Mark Sfirri has won several awards and is probably light years beyond your price range. Here are some of his baseball bats:

I took a class he taught years ago. It was so far above my head, that I barely understood what he was saying when he said it. His web site: Mark Sfirri

Another place to check might be the American Wood Turner's Association.

 

[S.Kenton]

I have a wood lathe and could make it for you if you know the size you want.

Pm on its way

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Pm on its way

I hope he can help you out. I also hope you are not using a round poll. Too much possibility for the head to twist sideways n the handle. The shape should at least be slightly oval, or like most hawk handles, tear drop shaped. I belong to a beginner black smith group and those guys make some incredible axes and hatchets. Almost never with a round poll.

 

[S.Kenton]

No I wasn’t going to use a round pole, I was indeed going to shape it into a teardrop shape. Where would I even start, what I have is a chunk of wood, split and dried, about 20 inches long.

 

[64Springer]

Get out your knife an start a witlin.

The handle ain't gonna make itself.

 

[The Appalachian]

Get out your knife an start a witlin.

The handle ain't gonna make itself.

This......

 

[S.Kenton]

Get out your knife an start a witlin.

The handle ain't gonna make itself.

Well with my shoulder still recuperating it might be a while, it can wait.. I’m still young..

 

[Old-Duckman]

all kinds of handles are tuned on a lathe. Most commercial hawk handles have both a taper and an oval cross section that slowly progresses to a tear drop cross section at the poll. I have been a wood turner for years. Turning such an item is an art that is now done mostly on cnc machines. I am just now getting into turning off center, which most turners never attemp, other than to make a crank shaft looking candle stick ....once. The next problem is curly maple is notoriously prone to tear out regardless of how sharp the tools. Even sanding over the waves of grain can cause tear out. It might require stabilization with an impregnating resin just to prevent tear out. I know enough to know that I am not your guy. There are a few guys that are specialists at eccentric turning. A fellow outside of PHila, named Mark Sfirri has won several awards and is probably light years beyond your price range. Here are some of his baseball bats: View attachment 204387

I took a class he taught years ago. It was so far above my head, that I barely understood what he was saying when he said it. His web site: Mark Sfirri

Another place to check might be the American Wood Turner's Association.

Those are amazing!

 

[Rifleman1776]

all kinds of handles are tuned on a lathe. Most commercial hawk handles have both a taper and an oval cross section that slowly progresses to a tear drop cross section at the poll. I have been a wood turner for years. Turning such an item is an art that is now done mostly on cnc machines. I am just now getting into turning off center, which most turners never attemp, other than to make a crank shaft looking candle stick ....once. The next problem is curly maple is notoriously prone to tear out regardless of how sharp the tools. Even sanding over the waves of grain can cause tear out. It might require stabilization with an impregnating resin just to prevent tear out. I know enough to know that I am not your guy. There are a few guys that are specialists at eccentric turning. A fellow outside of PHila, named Mark Sfirri has won several awards and is probably light years beyond your price range. Here are some of his baseball bats: View attachment 204387

I took a class he taught years ago. It was so far above my head, that I barely understood what he was saying when he said it. His web site: Mark Sfirri

Another place to check might be the American Wood Turner's Association.

Zim, I could have written yer post. Or, maybe, you wrote mine. I love turning but someone wanting a custom turn on curly maple dissuaded me immediately. I've turned down a few jobs over the years because of risk. e.g. one person wanted me to turn a pen from genuine ivory. That stuff shatters easily, I didn't want to be responsible for the loss.

 

[beardedhorse]

A. duplicarver will make hickory handles for oval eye tomahawks. Curly maple depending on amount of curl will indeed chip out and gouge. An M-1 carbine 6 stock routing jig will turn out lots of handles. For your single project I would find a hickory handle that fits the head as close as possible and use it as a pattern to make your copy. Use contour tools to size and check the progress. I like Nicholson pattern maker rasps (49 and 50?) for gun stocking and doing pipe tomahawk handles. Inletting blue or black should be used to get final fit of handle to eye. Band saw to close size, belt sand and when getting close, work with hand tools only. I wouldn't use a wood lathe except on a round poll axe, hatchet or tomahawk that takes a handle with a wedge.

 

[Jay Templin]

I’ve turned a couple of tomahawk handles on my springpole lathe, just to see if I could. Bit of a pain in the hindquarters, honestly, and that was plain wood. Never yet tried turning the curly stuff. As much as it tears out when I use a drawknife, I don’t think I would try turning it.
Jay

 

[TDM]

I’ve been turning for quite a few years, but now it’s not very often. Never considered myself more than moderately proficient. Lord knows how many pieces I’ve ruined right at the end. And I’ve seen experienced turners destroy wood too. Some wood just doesn’t want to be on a lath.

 

[S.Kenton]

Maybe I should have started a thread saying “ wanting someone to make a pipe hawk handle” .. I’ve never made one before, I’ve only made hawks from kits from TOTW.

 

[S.Kenton]

The piece of wood is 22 inches long and three inches across in diameter.