Tomahawk-Axe

A tomahawk is a light axe on a straight handle, and the reason it survived from trade-era North America into modern camp kit is that it does more per pound than anything else you can carry. Splitting kindling, driving stakes, clearing trail, rough carpentry.

Tomahawk or hatchet. A hatchet has a heavier head and a shaped handle, and is better at sustained splitting. A tomahawk is lighter, faster in the hand and easier to carry, with a head that can usually be slipped off the tapered handle for replacement in the field. Camp use favours the hatchet; carry favours the tomahawk.

Ours. Premium hand-forged heads in Damascus and high-carbon steel at 58 to 60 HRC, hung on hickory or ash, with a fitted leather head cover. Ground in Memphis, TN and covered by our lifetime warranty.

Which head does what

Related: tracker knives for the same one-tool-does-everything thinking, hunting knives, and handmade swords. Sharpening one? The whetstone guide covers the basics, with the convex caveat below.

Questions people ask

Do I need to sharpen an axe like a knife? No. An axe edge is a convex bevel, thicker and blunter than a knife edge, because it has to survive impact. A file and a stone, kept convex, is the whole job. Put a thin knife edge on a tomahawk and it will chip the first time it meets a knot.

Can I throw these? The heads take it, but repeated hard misses split handles. If throwing is the plan, buy a spare handle at the same time. The lighter throwing patterns are the ones designed for it.

How do I care for it? Keep the head oiled, keep the handle dry, and never leave it in a wet sheath. High-carbon and Damascus steel will both rust if you store them damp.

Damascus or high-carbon steel? Both are forged and both run 58 to 60 HRC, so they cut the same. Damascus gives you the layered pattern and costs more; plain high-carbon is the working choice if the axe is going to live in a truck and get used. Neither is stainless.

Can the handle be replaced? Yes on the traditional tapered-eye heads — that is the design. The head slips off the top of the handle, so a field replacement is a knife and a bit of patience. Hickory and ash are both standard sizes.

Head cover, handle and carry

Every tomahawk and hatchet here ships with a hand-stitched leather head cover included: full-grain cowhide, waxed saddle stitch, welted so the edge cannot cut its way out, and snapped closed over the bit. It is the difference between a tomahawk you can throw in a pack and a tomahawk that quietly opens a sleeping bag.

Belt frogs and drop loops are available on request if you want it hanging rather than stowed. Same leather, same stitch, cut for the specific head profile rather than a generic wedge.

Does the tomahawk come with a sheath? Yes. A hand-stitched leather head cover is included with every axe and tomahawk, snapped over the bit and welted so the edge stays where it belongs.

Can I get a belt loop or frog for it? Yes, ask before shipping and we will build a leather belt frog cut to that head.

How do I care for the leather cover? Keep the head dry before it goes back in, and condition the leather once or twice a year. Damp steel inside leather will spot.

Latest off the anvil in this collection: Triple Strike Damascus Throwing Tomahawk Set, Twin Forge Tomahawk Axe, Storm Breacher D2 Steel Tactical Breaching Tomahawk and Anvil Oak High Carbon Steel Hatchet Tomahawk Axe.