Damascus Tomahawk, Ash Handle with Hand Carved Cover

A branch comes down in the yard and needs cutting into stove lengths. Kindling wants splitting on a cold morning. Then it goes back on the peg where it can be seen. That is what this one is for. The head is Damascus over a high carbon core, etched in a ladder pattern, on an ash haft that puts it at 19 inches overall.

Specification

The head

The pattern is decoration. Layers of steel are forged together so the lines run in even bands, then the head goes in acid so those bands stand apart. What cuts is the high carbon core. The bevel is etched to the edge, so you see where the pattern stops and the working steel starts. The head is 6.5 inches long with a 4 inch edge, a shallow curve that keeps most of it in the cut. Carbon steel darkens as it works, and spots with rust if it goes away wet.

The handle

Ash is springy. It soaks up the shock of a stopped cut instead of putting it in your wrist, and the grain runs long and straight, which is what a haft wants. The eye is friction fit, with no wedge. The haft is tapered, slides in from the top, and the swing seats it tighter. Pull the head off and a new handle goes in inside a minute. At 19 inches there is room for two hands, and it still swings on one.

The leather head cover

Vegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline and stitched by hand, with a welt inside the seam so the thread sits clear of the edge. The face is carved rather than stamped, a thistle with scrollwork running off it, cut into damp leather by hand. A snap strap holds it shut. Put it on dry. Damp leather against steel is how a bit gets pitted, so wipe the head first.

Who it suits

Buyers here usually want two things at once, something worth looking at and something they can take outside.

• Anyone who wants a pattern welded head that gets used
• People who hang a piece up and take it down to work
• Gift buyers who want a name on the steel
• Owners who would rather refit a haft than retire a tool

What comes in the box

• The Damascus head on its 19 inch ash haft
• The hand carved leather cover
• A care card
• An engraving proof if you order one

Every piece is different

Every head is forged and etched by hand, so the ladder never lands twice in the same place. Ash has its own grain and takes oil unevenly. The carving is cut freehand, so the thistle leans its own way on every cover. Yours will not match the photographs, and that is rather the point.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry and put a film of oil on it before it goes away. The haft wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats on a new one over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it. Lay oily rags flat outside to dry, because screwed up indoors they can catch alight. A file first for damage, then a stone, then a strop. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing goes onto the steel unseen. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Orders of 10 or more are engraved free. The engraving page has the details.

Questions buyers ask

Is Damascus stronger than plain carbon steel? No. It is layered for the look. The high carbon core holds the edge.

Is it only for the wall? Use it. Marks on a working axe are not a fault.

How does the head stay on with no wedge? The eye is friction fit, the haft tapers, and the swing tightens it.

Will it rust? It can. Carbon steel darkens with use, and it spots if it is left damp. Dry it and oil it.

Will the pattern wear off? The etch is in the steel rather than on it. Sharpening takes a little back at the edge.

When will it get here? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days. Engraving adds a few days.

If the pattern is not the point, the plain forged one is the Hand Forged Tomahawk on curly maple, and for something shorter there is the Damascus Throwing Hatchet in olive wood. Other friction fit heads sit in tomahawks. The etched work is gathered in Damascus axes, and the whole range is under axes and hatchets.