Axe, tomahawk, hatchet?

[SteveA]

Hi! Not sure where is the best place to ask this question, but this is where I read most regularly, so... I have these two prototypes styled after Tim Potier's belt axes. Well, I don't know about "styled after". But that's where I got the idea! These are laminated from mild steel with a 5160 bit. Next step is to turn that hickory into handles, try'em out, then make another, better and shinier.

But the question... I was showing these off at church and someone asked about the terms, axe, hatchet, and tomahawk. My answer was that an axe has the sides flow straight around the eye while a hawk eye bulges out to fit the handle. That's how I've always understood it. And a hatchet? Well, the dictionary says a hatchet is a small axe that's used with one hand. And it defines an axe as a blade on a stick, used for chopping. But these belt "axes" are small and made for one hand... I'm just wondering if my definitions of axe and hawk are on target, and if there's some other distinction for a hatchet?

Thanks!

[Doug Lester]

I would say that "belt axe" and "hatchet" can be use interchangably. From scetches of period pieces that I found on another site, the hatchet/belt axe does not necessarily flow straight around the butt of the blade to the bit in one even bevel. The extra steel does give more weight and thus more energy for the cut but it is also more weight to carry so some do have a blade bevel that starts in front of the eye of the head. A tomahawk is primarily a weapon rather than a tool so it is built with a thinner, thus liter, blade. This gives allows the weapon to be faster in use but sacrifices power but the toughest thing that a 'hawk has to split is the scull.

Doug Lester

[Robert Mayo]

An axe or hatchet is fitted on from the top and held there with wedges. A tomahawk is slid on from the bottom and is held in place by a friction fit like a pickaxe or adze. Axes and hatchet heads come in many shapes and sizes depending on what they are for.

Bob

[SteveA]

Thanks, guys. Belt axe and hatchet being pretty much interchangeable was kind of what I was coming around to. And Robert, that definition is better than what I was using, so I'll start explaining it that way.

Thanks!

[Chuck Burrows]

A tomahawk is slid on from the bottom and is held in place by a friction fit like a pickaxe or adze

Robert that's generally true but not always - there are a number of original tomahawks and pipe hawks with the head fitted from the top like a regular hatchet or axe.

A tomahawk is primarily a weapon rather than a tool so it is built with a thinner, thus liter, blade. This gives allows the weapon to be faster in use but sacrifices power but the toughest thing that a 'hawk has to split is the scull.

Again generally true but far from always. The early 18th Century French and English Tomahawk heads were often light in weight - 1 lb or less, but the later 18th century and 19th century English and American made heads are at times in the 2-2.5 lb range. As for splitting only the skull, again while the tomahawk and particularly the pipe hawks were used primarily for weapons there are several period refernces to the Indians using them as a multi-purpose tool inclduing chopping wood for them.

As to the difference in an axe and hatchet, there really is none other in so far as style/method of construction, other than today hatchett refers to a one handed tool and axe to the two handed tool.
The word hatchet is descended from the French word hachette, which it the diminutive of "hache" aka axe. Axe is descended from Old Norse, so two words from different sources meaning more or less the same thing in English.
Overtime the dimutive (meaning small) hatchet (meaning a small axe) became the common term in English for a small or hand axe, while axe was retained as the word for the larger tool.

[Robert Mayo]

Originally Posted by Chuck Burrows

Robert that's generally true but not always - there are a number of original tomahawks and pipe hawks with the head fitted from the top like a regular hatchet or axe.


Again generally true but far from always. The early 18th Century French and English Tomahawk heads were often light in weight - 1 lb or less, but the later 18th century and 19th century English and American made heads are at times in the 2-2.5 lb range. As for splitting only the skull, again while the tomahawk and particularly the pipe hawks were used primarily for weapons there are several period refernces to the Indians using them as a multi-purpose tool inclduing chopping wood for them.

As to the difference in an axe and hatchet, there really is none other in so far as style/method of construction, other than today hatchett refers to a one handed tool and axe to the two handed tool.
The word hatchet is descended from the French word hachette, which it the diminutive of "hache" aka axe. Axe is descended from Old Norse, so two words from different sources meaning more or less the same thing in English.
Overtime the dimutive (meaning small) hatchet (meaning a small axe) became the common term in English for a small or hand axe, while axe was retained as the word for the larger tool.

Great info Chuck thanks for taking the time to explain it.

Bob

[Chuck Burrows]

You're welcome Bob and please excuse the mis-spelled words..........