American Tomahawk Company Repair

[1967redrider]

Dukie (the German Shorthaired Pointer) and I decided to do some mountain hiking today to check out 24 acres my brother just bought that abutts our farm property. Upon checking the survey markers I stumbled on an old fence post with 3 square nails in it. The bottom nail pulled out easily by hand so I figured I could use the pointed end of my American Tomahawk Co. to free another nail that was already in a stress crack. Well, the nail was more secured than I imagined and even using a piece of wood to baton the point in next to the nail didn't loosen it. In fact, I ended up breaking the handle out of my tomahawk and the nail eventually broke off before coming out.

Arriving back home I was determimed to fix the tomahawk. First I used a big punch and hammer to get the broken handle piece out of the hawk head. Then I scored the handle with my trusty Remington 100B pocket knife to the place where I felt the head needed to seat on the handle. Turning to the Remington for use as a whittler, I sized the handle so it could be inserted tightly back into the head. A rubber hammer worked for that and then I hammered the wedge back in, added some wood glue and waited for it to dry.

Everything turned out well enough to get my tomahawk back in business without beating all the paint off of it. Tomorrow I will see just how durable my fix was. The remaining handle, though an inch shorter, seems to have decent integrity so I expect it will remain as my user for odd cutting jobs around the farm when carry a chainsaw would be too exhausting.

[1967redrider]

Interesting that the American Tomahawk Company tool is actually made in Tiawan. Also including a picture of the square steel nails, holding the one that broke off and assisted in breaking my handle. I might add some paint to my repair or just leave it exposed as a reminder that a tomahawk isn't a nail puller/pry bar.

[stagman]

Grab one of them all steel Marble's Safety axes with the nail puller on it in
the future....be easier to carry to just pulling the guard down a bit
and slipping it around your belt....I know ya got one Red, put her to use !!!

Stag
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman

[1967redrider]

Grab one of them all steel Marble's Safety axes with the nail puller on it in
the future....be easier to carry to just pulling the guard down a bit
and slipping it around your belt....I know ya got one Red, put her to use !!!

Stag
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman

So true, Stag, you need to use the right tool for the job. But before my hike I had no idea I'd come across an old post with square nails in it. I can guess how they got there and by whom. The mountain is called Irons Mountain, to the East of Cumberland, and our family is related to the Irons'; my great-grandmother was one. You just never know what you might find out in the woods from years gone by.

[edge213]

Nice save.

[1967redrider]

Nice save.

Thanks David.

[rarefish383]

Before I read your second post, I was thinking that was some funky looking grain in the handle. I made my first throwing ax handle a couple months ago. I'd get a straight piece of Ash and trace your handle on it and then start rasping it down till it felt nice in the hand. If you cut the blank square, you could start rasping the corners, so you came up with an Octagonal handle. They feel really good in the hand and throw well. I was pleased with my first attempt, Joe.

[1967redrider]

Before I read your second post, I was thinking that was some funky looking grain in the handle. I made my first throwing ax handle a couple months ago. I'd get a straight piece of Ash and trace your handle on it and then start rasping it down till it felt nice in the hand. If you cut the blank square, you could start rasping the corners, so you came up with an Octagonal handle. They feel really good in the hand and throw well. I was pleased with my first attempt, Joe.

Cool deal, Joe. Do you have any pictures of your work?

-John

[rarefish383]

Sure do, started with a piece of 18" Ash firewood. Looked for tight annual rings/grain that were straight from top to bottom, no twist. Squared it up on the table saw, then laid a store bought handle on top to trace the basic shape. The store handle was much longer so I just got the the shoulders where the head goes on.

[rarefish383]

I tried to trim the blank with a scroll saw but it was too thick for the blades I had and didn't work, I just started filing with a hand rasp. The Ash works well and pretty easy with a rasp, nothing like Hickory.

[rarefish383]

When I got the basic shape down I traced the profile of the head on the handle. Make sure you leave extra handle sticking through, and a little extra on the shoulders, I screwed up cutting the wedge grove in the handle, and had to cut it off and set it lower. A good hand saw would probably be best for the wedge slot, but, I wound up doing it with a band saw slow and easy.

[rarefish383]

When I got the head set it was a little off center, thicker on one side, as I kept rasping it naturally started to even out to the point I could see where to concentrate on where to remove extra wood, and it evened out. In the next few pics it's startine to look like a handle, but it's still way too thick. I carried it around with me every time I got up. Just shifting and holding it, and it started to make a blister on my hand, so I kept rasping it.

[rarefish383]

The final project turned out well, I left a bit of a knob on the end so it won't come flying out of my grip when throwing. I used a piece of Black Walnut for the wedge, and shaped it on a little belt sander, just matched it to a Poplar wedge that came with a store bought handle. Mounting this head was harder than it should have been. When I found the head it was a solid chunk of rust. I ground over 8 ounces of steel off of it to polish it. In the process I ground too much off one side, so the head had to be fit deeper on one side than the other. When i screwed up on the wedge slot, and had to set the head down mre, I didn't have enough shoulder left to get it tighter on one side, but it's close. Then I hand rube several coats of boiled linseed oil, and a final coat of Johnsons floor wax. I put an edge on it that will shave hair of your arm. Since this is a Boys Ax head, on a hatchet length handle, it's a little head heavy, but it throws well. I chopped down a little Gum tree in my woods and it was throwing chips almost the size of my palm, but was tiring to swing one handed, and too short to get two hands on it. It does make a good camp ax too, works good on chopping kindling. But, you have to be real careful. With the extra weight of the Boys ax, and super sharp, it will take a finger off in a blink.

[rarefish383]

It will chop.

[rarefish383]

Here's where it started, Joe

[1967redrider]

Here's where it started, Joe

Sorry for getting back to you so late but excellent work!

[rarefish383]

Here's where it started, Joe

Sorry for getting back to you so late but excellent work!

Turned out the work was a wee bit substandard. I probably had about 400 throws on it. Let anybody and everybody that wanted to throw it have a throw or two. Then my left handed nephew tried throwing it. I told him "Do Not" try to flip it. The natural arc of the throw , at 15", will make it stick. His girl friend stuck it on her first throw. So, he gets up to the line and tries to show off, and heaves it with a giant flip of the wrist. It over rotated and hit square on the end of the handle, driving the head deeper onto the handle, and popped a big piece off the handle, right under the poll. I glued it back on and you can't see it, but If I ever make another handle I might put a little more thought into it, Joe.