Hand Forged Throwing Axe, 16 Inch Hickory Handle, Wide Bit

Throwing is hard on wood. Sooner or later a rotation comes up short, the handle takes the impact the bit was meant to take, and what you replace is the wood, not the steel. So this one is built to be re handled. The head is 1095 high carbon, the handle is hickory, and it runs 16 inches overall. Fit one yourself and stop worrying.

Specification

The head

The head is 6 inches from bit to poll with 4 inches of cutting edge, a wide bit for this length, so more edge lands where you wanted. The steel is 1095 high carbon, left dark where the hammer worked it and polished bright back from the edge so the bevel reads clear. The grind is shallow, closer to a splitting bevel than a slicing one, because a fine edge folds when it finds a knot in a board. Carbon steel darkens with use, and it will rust if it is left wet.

The handle

Hickory, 16 inches, the length most people settle on for a one hand throw. Hickory bends before it lets go and holds a shock better than the prettier woods, which is why working axes here get hung on it. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through the eye from underneath, a wooden wedge goes into the kerf on top to spread it tight against the steel, then a steel wedge is set across that. Sanded, oiled, never varnished.

The leather head cover

Vegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline rather than a general shape, so the bit drops in and stays put. The edge is welted, a strip of leather between the faces keeping the stitching off the steel. Stitched by hand, closed with a brass snap, face stamped basket weave. Put it on dry. Leather holds water against a bit, and that is how an edge goes orange in a week.

Who it suits

This one is for somebody who throws enough to have snapped wood, or is about to.

• Throwers who would rather re handle than replace
• Anyone starting out on plain steel and wood
• Buyers who want the wide bit, not the thin one
• People who already keep hickory tools

What comes in the box

• The throwing axe, handle fitted and wedged
• The stitched leather head cover
• A care card
• Lifetime warranty and free sharpening for life

Every piece is different

Each head is forged one at a time, so the hammer texture lands where it lands. Hickory grain runs its own way, so your handle will not match the photographs. Weights sit in a small range because the steel is moved by hand. That is what hand work looks like.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after a session and oil it before it goes in the cover. A new handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five thin coats over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it, never soak a loose head. Lay linseed rags flat outside to dry, because balled up indoors they can catch fire on their own. File, then stone, then strop. More on the 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, so a name and a date works. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of ten or more, which is why group orders arrive as one. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

How is the head held on? The eye is wedged. The handle comes up from below, a wooden wedge is driven into the top to spread it against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that.

What do I do when I break a handle? Saw it off flush, drive the stub up and out through the top of the eye, then wedge in a new hickory blank. An hour, mostly patience.

Can I burn the old wood out? No. The heat pulls the temper out of the steel and it does not come back. Get it out cold.

Will it rust? It can. Dry the head after a session, oil it, never shut it in a wet cover.

What size is it? The head is 6 inches long with a 4 inch cutting edge, on a 16 inch hickory handle. Those are the measurements, and we claim nothing past them.

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

For a thinner bit, see the hand forged throwing axe on ash, and for the same wedge under a pattern welded head, the Damascus throwing axe on ash. The rest sit in throwing axes, carbon steel axes and gifts for him.