Hand Forged Tomahawk, Carbon Steel Axe with Leather Wrapped Handle

A tomahawk is a light axe you carry rather than a heavy one you leave in the truck. The head is narrow and the handle long for its weight, so the swing comes cheap and your arm lasts through a pile of firewood. This one is a hand forged 5160 carbon steel head with a 5 inch cutting edge on an ash handle, 19 inches overall, with a leather wrapped grip and a tooled cover.

Specification

The head

The steel is 5160 spring steel, what real axe makers use, tough under impact and easy to bring back on a stone. It is left dark gray off the hammer, marks still across the cheek, the bevel polished bright. The pattern is a tomahawk, American rather than Norse. The head is narrow with a long thin neck and a small eye, 6 inches long with 5 inches of cutting edge. That keeps the weight down, which is the point and the trade, since a light head will not bury itself in seasoned wood.

The handle

The handle is ash, straight grained and springy, the wood that soaks up shock instead of passing it on. It runs 13 inches, long for a head this light, which is why it swings so easily. Most axes are wedged into the eye from the top, and a tomahawk is hung the other way round. The eye is tapered and the handle fitted from below, so the head pulls tight as it seats and slips off the bottom for a new one.

The leather head cover

The cover is cut for this head, so the bevel goes in snug. The leather is vegetable tanned. A belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the top, and a welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching sits clear of the edge. The stitching is done by hand. The face is hand tooled with a carved sunburst inside a scalloped border, cut and shaded rather than stamped flat. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather. This is the rest of it.

Who it suits

This one goes to people who want a light axe on the belt for the trail and the fire pit, and who like the American pattern rather than the Norse one.

• Backpackers and trail campers counting ounces
• Anyone wanting a light axe for firewood and kindling
• Collectors of the older American axe patterns
• Someone shopping for a gift for a camper or hiker

What comes in the box

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

Every piece is different

Every axe is forged, ground and finished by hand, so no two leave the shop alike. The hammer marks, the color of the ash and the depth of the tooling will differ from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after use and never store it wet. Carbon steel darkens with use, and that gray patina is normal and protects it. Sharpen with a file and a puck or a stone, following the bevel already on it. Oil the handle too, since dry wood shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use. 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 on the head or along the handle, and clean line art cuts sharply where a photograph does not. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page for the details.

Questions buyers ask

What is a tomahawk? A light axe with a narrow head, a long thin neck and a small eye.

Is a tomahawk a Norse pattern? No, it is American. The Norse shape in this range is the bearded axe.

How is the head held on? The tapered eye seats on a handle fitted from below and slips off the bottom.

Will this steel rust? Carbon steel can, so dry the head and oil it.

How sharp is it out of the box? Sharpened by hand and ready to cut on arrival.

How long until it ships? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days with USPS.

For the Norse shape try the viking bearded axe in carbon steel, and for something lighter the hand forged throwing axe in hickory. More sits in tomahawks, in carbon steel axes, and in axes and hatchets.