Damascus Tomahawk, 19 Inch Rosewood Handle, Ladder Pattern

Take it off the wall and it will still split kindling or break down a crate. The head is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the ladder bands read from across a room, and it sits on 19 inches of rosewood. Most of these live on a shelf between jobs. Nothing about the build assumes that is all it does.

Specification

The head

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core, so ordinary carbon steel does the cutting under the layering. The etch is a ladder, straight bands running across the whole head and over the cheeks. The bevel is ground thin and left bright against the dark banding. The head runs 6 inches with 3.5 inches of edge, a shallow curve that bites into wood without burying itself and comes back out easily. Carbon sits under the pattern, so the head darkens with use and it will rust if you leave it wet.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and close grained and polishes up dark, which is most of why it is here. It fills a hand. The eye is friction fit. The tapered haft slides in from the top, there is no wedge, and the swing seats it tighter. Knock it out from below and a fresh haft goes on in a minute. Nineteen inches gives a two hand grip at the butt for splitting and a short hold near the steel for shaving a point.

The leather head cover

Vegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline rather than a shape meant to fit anything, so the beard and poll sit where they should. A welt sewn into the seam stands the stitch line off the edge, clear of steel. It is stitched by hand down the outside, the face carries a stamped basket weave, and a brass snap strap crosses the top. Put it on dry. Leather holds damp against a head.

Who it suits

People buy this one to see the pattern and still own something that cuts.

• Anyone hanging one on a wall who wants a working edge
• Camp cooks and fire builders splitting kindling
• People buying a present with weight behind it
• Collectors of pattern welded steel

What comes in the box

• The tomahawk
• The hand stitched leather head cover
• A care card
• Your engraving if you add it

Every piece is different

Every head is forged, ground, etched and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish alike. The ladder bands land differently on each one. Rosewood varies too, from warm brown to nearly purple, with the grain going its own way through every haft. Yours will not match the photograph.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after use and oil the steel before it goes away. The cover goes on dry, never over a wet bit. The rosewood wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days when new, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never soak a loose head in water. Linseed rags can catch fire on their own, so dry them flat outside. More in our knife care 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 sits better than a sentence. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days to the order. Orders of 10 or more are engraved free. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Is it sharp if I only ever hang it up? It ships sharpened. Keep a film of oil on it and it stays that way.

Does the pattern go through the steel? The layers run through the head. The etch that shows them sits on the surface, so sharpening takes a little off the bevel.

How does the head stay on with no wedge? Friction fit. The tapered haft drives in from the top and the work seats it. That is what separates a tomahawk from a hatchet, and why a new haft takes a minute to fit.

Will Damascus rust? It will if it is left wet. Wipe it dry, oil it before storage, and keep the cover off if the room gets damp.

How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Can I mount it on a wall? Plenty do. Support the haft rather than hanging the head off a nail through the eye, and take it down to oil the steel.

The Damascus tomahawk on walnut runs a warmer handle under the same idea, and the hand forged tomahawk in plain carbon steel is there if price beats pattern. The rest are in tomahawks, Damascus axes and gifts for him.