Tomahawk Out of Plow Disk! (easiest Tomahawk)
by Youtube knight16 in Workshop > Tools
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Tomahawk Out of Plow Disk! (easiest Tomahawk)
I have always wanted to make my own tomahawk and one day I hope to blacksmith one, but that is a extremely complex project and also requires some skills I don't have yet. That being said I had this idea to make a tomahawk like this and use what I had laying around the only thing I bought was two bolts to hold the head in the handle and it actually turned out great! This could definitely be the easiest way to make a tomahawk! I use a lot of tools I have laying around my shop but a lot of them are not necessary to make this tomahawk they just make it a little nicer So let's get started!
Supplies
wood for handle ( I'm using a sapling out of my woods)
Meatal for the head ( I'm using a piece of plow disk)
Two stage epoxy
2 bolts and 2 nuts
TOOLS
Table vise
hand saw
Drill
Drill bit
Side grinder
Belt sander (optional)
Sand paper (optional)
Knife (optional)
Drillpress (optional)
Countersink bit (optional)
Propane torch (optional)
The Head
To start this project you need a piece of flat meatal I'm using a piece of a disk of a plow this is a great piece of metal because it was already a rough cut of what I wanted! But you can make this out of anything you have laying around a circular saw blade for example would work great! After I found the piece of meatal I was going to use I grind it to the shape that I want, using the side grinder and belt sander.
The Handle
Now for the handle I wanted to use something that anyone can get there hands on and was cheap so I went out to my nearest woods (which happens to be my back yard) and cut the straightest sapling I could find down with my pocket saw. A hard wood is best but I don't have any around me so I just cut a random sapling. Is this the best handle? No but it didn't cost me anything and I can make another one when it breaks. So next I cut it to the length I want and debark it using a knife like a draw knife. (Again this is optional you can leave the bark on.) I then take my saw and cut a notch for the blade test fit and then sand the handle.
Decorating the Handle With Fire!
Ok this step is completely unnecessary but completely Awesome! If you have a propane torch laying around like me you can stripe the handle. It's actually very easy just keep the torch about a inch or so from the handle and when the wood turns black move around the handle till you make a ring and do it again till satisfied!
Grinding a Edge
After the head was the shape I wanted I used my belt sander to put a edge on the blade and spike (I also should mention you don't have to make a spike it just cool and useful if you want to throw it!) You can use a side grinder to grind a edge it's just easier to do it on a belt sander. And after it's sharp I wrap it with Painters tape to keep from cutting myself!
Gluing the Blade in the Handle
Now we are going to use some two stage epoxy to glue the blade into the handle, afterwards I let it completely dry.
Bolting the Head in Place
Now that the glue is dry I drill two holes in the handle and use a countersink bit to help the bolts sit flush for a nicer look. Then I put the bolts in and run the nuts on half way and put some epoxy on the bolts so they don't back out then screw the bolts on the rest of the way. I used a wrench to really tighten down the bolts then cut the excess thread off with my side grinder.
Finishing Touches and the End
To make the ends of the bolts look smooth and finished I used a belt sander. Also I scraped off some of the extra glue and we are done! I am extremely happy with how this turned out! All in all I have about $4 and half a day in this tomahawk because I used stuff I already had laying around. Thank You for reading my instructable and I hope that you were inspired to go and make something cool out of the stuff you have laying around! if you enjoyed this please go by and give me your vote on the "trash to treasure" contest! Thanks!