Hand Forged Throwing Axe, 16 Inch Ash Handle, Thin Bit
Hand Forged Throwing Axe, 16 Inch Ash Handle, Thin Bit
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- Engraving adds 3 to 5 business days.
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Throwing is its own job. You are asking a head to turn once in the air and land edge first in soft wood, and that wants a thinner bit than the axe you split kindling with. This one is 16 inches over, 1095 high carbon in the head, ash under your hand. It is the plainest head we grind, and that is deliberate.
Specification
| Head length | 5.5 inches |
| Cutting edge | 3.5 inches |
| Overall length | 16 inches |
| Handle length | 16 inches |
| Handle wood | Ash |
| Head steel | 1095 high carbon |
| Head finish | Dark forged skin with light hammer texture, bright polished bevel |
| Eye | Wedged, wooden wedge with a steel wedge across it |
| Head cover | Hand stitched leather, stamped basket weave face, snap strap |
| Engraving | Laser engraving, 20 dollars per piece |
| Made in | Forged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina. |
| Warranty | Lifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life. |
The head
The steel is 1095 high carbon. The skin is left dark off the forge with a light hammer texture, and the bevel is polished bright so the grind shows. The head is 5.5 inches long with a 3.5 inch cutting edge, ground thin behind that edge. A working hatchet is ground fatter, because a thick shoulder splits wood sideways. This one has to enter and stay in. Thin does that, and it means knots mark it. Carbon steel darkens with use and rusts if you leave it wet.
The handle
Ash is right for this. It is springy, so it takes a shock and gives some of it back instead of sending it all into your wrist, and the grain runs straight from eye to butt. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven through from below, a wooden wedge goes into the top to spread it tight against the steel, and a steel wedge sits across that. Sixteen inches keeps the rotation easy to count and the axe light.
The leather head cover
The cover is vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, with a welted edge so the thread sits behind leather rather than on the bevel. It is cut to this head's own outline and closes with a brass snap. The face is stamped in a basket weave. It goes on dry. Leather holds damp against steel, so wipe the head and oil it before the cover goes back on.
Who it suits
This is the least costly way into the category that we make, and it is not a lesser axe for it.
- Anyone buying a first throwing axe
- People who want a thin bit, not a hatchet grind
- Throwers who like a short handle
- Buyers paying for grind, not wood
What comes in the box
- The throwing axe
- The leather head cover
- A care card
- Engraving details
Every piece is different
Every head is forged, ground and sharpened by hand, so no two finish alike. The hammer texture lands where it lands. Ash runs from near white to a pale brown and the grain never repeats, and the leather takes the stamp differently every time. Yours will not match the photographs.
Looking after it
Wipe the head dry and oil it before storage. The handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats on a new one over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never soak a loose head. Linseed rags can catch fire on their own if left bunched indoors, so lay them flat outside. Sharpening is a file, then a stone, then a strop, free for life. More on our knife care and sharpening page.
Put a name on it
Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a year sits comfortably. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days to the order. It is free on orders of 10 or more. Details sit on the engraving page.
Questions buyers ask
Why is the bit thinner than on your hatchets? A throwing head only has to go in and stay put. A hatchet bit is thicker because it has to split. One grind will not do both.
Can I split kindling with it? You can, but a thin bit takes more damage from knots. Keep a hatchet for the wood pile.
How is the head held on? The eye is wedged. The handle comes up from below, a wooden wedge is driven into the top so the wood spreads against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that. Not a friction fit, so a new handle is a bench job.
Will it rust? Yes, if you let it. It is carbon steel. Dry it, keep a film of oil on it, and let it go dark.
Can I hammer with the back? No. The poll is not hardened for it. Use a hammer.
How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.
For a wider bit and hickory under it, the hand forged throwing axe on hickory is next along. The Damascus throwing axe on walnut is the same job in pattern welded steel. The group sits in throwing axes, this steel is in carbon steel axes, and the rest is under axes and hatchets.