Hand Forged Throwing Axe, Carbon Steel Hatchet with Hickory Handle

A throwing axe is balanced for the throw rather than for chopping power. The head is light and narrow so it turns the same way every time and bites into a target board. This one is 14 inches overall in hand forged 5160 spring steel, with a 3.5 inch cutting edge and an American hickory handle. It is made for target throwing at a range or in a yard, and for camp use.

Specification

The head

The steel is 5160 spring steel, the steel real axe makers use. It takes the impact of landing without chipping, and when it dulls a file brings it back. The head is 5 inches long with a 3.5 inch cutting edge, kept narrow so the mass stays low and the rotation stays honest. The finish is a dark gray hand forged surface with hammer marks across the cheek and a mirror bright bevel. The honest trade is the one you expect from a light head. It splits kindling, not firewood rounds.

The handle

Hickory is the American working wood, denser and heavier than ash, and the right choice under a head that gets thrown. It puts up with the knocks a handle takes when a throw lands flat. At 9 inches it is short, which keeps the turn tight and helps a thrower settle on a distance from the board. The handle is driven through the eye and a wedge is driven into the top of it, spreading the wood tight against the steel.

The leather head cover

The cover is cut for this head, so it sits close rather than loose. The leather is vegetable tanned. A belt loop is stitched to the back so it rides on a belt to the range, a strap and snap close over the top, and a welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching stays clear of the sharp part. All of the stitching is done by hand. The face is tooled with a running chevron pattern inside a carved border, cut into the leather rather than printed on it.

Who it suits

Most people buy a pair, since a session runs better when you are not walking to the board after every throw.

• Target throwers at a range or in a backyard setup
• Beginners who want a hickory handle rather than a molded one
• Campers who want a light head for kindling and tent pegs
• Clubs and leagues buying several at once

What comes in the box

• The hand forged throwing axe
• The tooled leather head cover
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Each head is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two are alike. The hammer marks fall where they fall, the hickory grain runs its own way, and the depth of the tooling varies from the photographs.

Looking after it

Dry the head after a session and never put it away wet. The gray patina that builds is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a file and a puck or a stone, following the bevel. Oil the head before storage and the handle now and then, since a dry handle shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use. More in our knife 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 on the head or along the hickory, which is where most names go on this one. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Engraving is free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a throwing axe? A light narrow head balanced for the throw, not for chopping.

What should I throw it at? A wooden target board, with clear space behind it.

Why hickory? It is dense and takes the knocks when a throw lands flat.

How sharp is it out of the box? Sharp enough to cut wood and stick in a board.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.

Is the head tight? Yes, it is wedged into the eye. Check it before every session.

For a camp kit, the Damascus camp axe in hickory has a squared poll for pegs, and for a longer handle there is the hand forged tomahawk with a leather wrapped grip. More sits in throwing axes, in axes and hatchets, and in carbon steel axes.