Hatchet? Tomahawk? What's the difference?

Joben

Joben

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May 22, 2009
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I was wondering the other day about the difference between a tomahawk and a hatchet.
Is there a meeningful one at all? I meen, basicaly, they are both a blade on a stick...

Considering the thread below about it possibly being an offense to carry a tomahawk under Texas law this question is not merely accademic...
 
Really, a tomahawk is a type of hatchet.

But what people usually see as the differences are that a hatchet, if it has a wood haft, will be attached by pushing the haft up through the bottom of the bit and held in place with a wedge. A Tomahawk will have the haft inserted through the top of the bit and held in by friction and pressure.

The haft of a hatchet is curved for leverage, and typically oval on cross section. The tomahawk is typically a round haft, that is straight.

The eye on a hatchet is usually ovel, while it is usually round on a hawk.

The bit of a hawk tends to be a good bit smaller than a hatchet.
 
As I recall, hawks were historically sometimes referred to as "trade axes". These days Cpl Punishment's explanation of head attachment methods seems to be one common reason for calling some tools hatchets and others hawks. However, I will note that a number of my hawks have oval or teardrop shaped openings in the heads, rather than round.

DancesWithKnives
 
I am no expert, but it seems to me that the tomahawks are derived from old world designs brought over and traded in the new world. They have a narrower bit, and no poll. The hatchet with the wider bit and poll to add mass evolved from the hawk to be a more effective chopper for harder woods. So I think of a hatchet as more of an American ax designed by European descent, and a tomahawk as an older, European design with a native American name.

Maybe the hawk is thought of as more of a weapon because of it's lighter weight, and reputation as used in combat, dating back to the early 17th or 18th century. But again, I am just shooting from the hip here. Please correct me if I am off-base
 
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a hawk will have a thinner blade all around, ending in a swell around the eye. the hatchet is more wedge shaped and the eye works into the blade geometry, lending itself much better to splitting than a hawk. but for chopping, the hawk cant be beat. the thin blade is much less likely to stick in the wood, meaning less energy expended.
 
If your talking from a legal matter I would imagine how it looks would affect an officers opinion on it. Obviously a spiked hawk would appear more as a weapon while a poll hawk could most likely pass as a hatchet.
 
Difficult question. There are examples of both that seem to cross over. The Eastwing hatchets have edge profiles as thin as many hawks. Also there was the belt axe carried by some long hunters which had closer weight and handling to the hawk but still had the more wedge shaped edge profile.
 
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