{"product_id":"hand-forged-tomahawk-oak-handle","title":"Hand Forged Tomahawk, 19 Inch Oak Handle with Round Poll","description":"\u003cp\u003eKindling for a morning fire, a branch limbed where it fell, bark off a log, a peg pointed for a tarp line. Plain camp work, done with one hand. The head is 1095 high carbon, the haft is oak, and it is 19 inches long. The round back of this head is what gets argued about online, so it gets a straight answer below.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCutting edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e19 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e19 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle wood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOak\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark forged skin with heavy hammer marks, bright polished bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEye\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFriction fit, tapered haft, no wedge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand stitched leather, stamped basket weave face, snap strap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLaser engraving, 20 dollars per piece\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe steel is 1095 high carbon. The forged skin stays dark and the hammer marks sit heavy across both sides. The bevel is ground flat and polished bright. The head runs 6 inches front to back with a 3.5 inch edge, so the bit is narrow for its length, and a narrow bit goes deeper into wood for the same effort. Behind the eye the poll is round, and soft compared to the edge. It carries weight, nothing else. Carbon steel darkens the more you use it, and it rusts if put away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOak is hard and stiff, so 19 inches of it sits more solid in the hand than lighter woods. The eye is a friction fit, which is what separates a hawk from a hatchet. No wedge anywhere. The haft tapers and drops in from above, and every swing seats the head further down and tighter. Pull the head, push on a fresh haft, and you are cutting again inside a minute. Hold at the butt for weight, up under the head for close work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, cut to the outline of this head and not to a size that roughly suits it, so nothing rattles. The edge is welted, so a strip of leather keeps the stitching back from the bit. It is stitched by hand, the face stamped in a basket weave, and a snap strap closes over the eye. Put it on dry. Damp leather against steel is how covers ruin edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the plain one. No pattern in the steel, no carving past the stamp, nothing on it that is not doing a job.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone after a working hawk with no decoration\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers carrying one tool who want it light\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like carbon steel and expect it to darken\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who would sooner fit a new haft than send a tool away\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tomahawk on its oak haft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stitched leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYour engraving, if you ordered it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged, ground and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. The hammer marks land where they land. Oak grain and color shift from haft to haft, and the leather takes the stamp differently each time. Yours will not match the photographs exactly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use. Oil the steel before it goes away, and the cover goes on dry. The haft takes boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days when new, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never stand a loose head in water. Lay linseed rags flat outdoors to dry, since balled up indoors they can catch fire. More on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date go on the steel. We send a proof image first, and nothing runs until you say it reads right. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Orders of 10 or more are engraved free. Details sit on the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I hammer with the back of it?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. That poll is not hardened and was never built for pounding. Keep a hammer for nails.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThen what is the round poll for?\u003c\/strong\u003e Weight behind the eye, which settles the swing. Nothing sticks out of it, so nothing catches in a pack.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does the head stay on with no wedge?\u003c\/strong\u003e The haft tapers and slides in from the top, so the swing pulls the head tighter onto it. Tap the butt on a block if it feels loose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat happens to the steel over time?\u003c\/strong\u003e It darkens, and that gray protects the surface. Left wet it rusts instead, so dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I sharpen it myself?\u003c\/strong\u003e A file first if the edge is damaged, then a stone, then a strop. Sharpening here is free for life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the same shape with a pattern in the steel, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-tomahawk-hickory\"\u003eDamascus tomahawk on hickory\u003c\/a\u003e, and for a springier haft the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-tomahawk-ash-handle\"\u003ehand forged tomahawk on ash\u003c\/a\u003e. More of both sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tomahawks\"\u003etomahawks\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/axes-hatchets\"\u003eaxes and hatchets\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143514124406,"sku":"VEF-TOM-HC-431","price":165.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/tomahawk-07-carbon-oak_5f119974-f90d-46ea-8be3-ab0d4e506499.jpg?v=1788835206","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-tomahawk-oak-handle","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}