2 Bit Axe 3 Rotation Throw

This  video features a 3 rotation throw with my Double-Bit Axe.  I have an earlier video with a 3r in there  but that one was with my Single-Bit Axe. The viewpoint is a touch more from the  side too. Have fun and get out there and stick a few.

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7 Rotation Tomahawk Throw

This short video features a 7 rotation tomahawk throw from around 97 feet away from the target.  I stuck it in the bottom target but I will still take it!! My motto is you can’t have too big of a target! Especially from that far away. Sorry for the poor video quality but it is better than nothing as my friend just happened to pull out his iPod Touch to capture this throw. I am just happy to be able to make this throw as my shoulder has been screwed up for awhile and it is painful to throw anything beyond a five rotation with my usual style. I like to throw with a very overhead motion as I feel it is more accurate. I had to move to a slightly more sidearmed style here to take some pressure off my shoulder. Since my arm is coming across my body it is more difficult to be accurate from these longer distances. I must’ve been in a groove that day as I stuck a 6 rotation on the throw right before this one.

Wine, Cheese and Axes!?

This is a video that the TomahawkGuys did not produce but we like it so much we want everyone to enjoy it. It is a kind of strange mixture of a weekend retreat of axe throwing in a beautiful European mountain setting along with a gourmet wine and cheese party. Maybe this is axe throwing heaven?

Throwing the Axe at a Moving Target

That would be the “Genuine Norlund” Double-Bit Axe. This axe compliments my single bit boys axe that I have been throwing. I realize now that the main advantage of a double bit axe is that it has about a 200 degree stick radius! Of, course if you are in any “official” axe throwing competitions you are not allowed to stick the trailing edge but for casual fun why not! Soon after we started throwing the tomahawk at a moving target we naturally asked ourselves, “Why not the axe?” I found out this can be hazardous to the target though. One of my throws hit on the bottom edge of the target and blasted off a sizable chunk. The moving target is thinner and lighter than we use for our stationery targets. I will probably stick to tomahawks mostly but I had to give this a try.

Throwing the Tomahawk at a Moving Target

I had been thinking about doing this throw for awhile now, and finally took the time to put my thoughts into action. I had the idea that the block needed to be mounted on a board so it wouldn’t spin and the board needed to be mounted a certain way, etc… too much trouble!! Finally, Night-Hawk and I decided to do a simple test to see if it was worth the effort to proceed with the plan. I happened to have a chain hanging from a tree limb that was used for one of those 1-man hammock chair swing things. That seemed like a perfect place for our test. We then simply nailed a short section of  chain to a small Sycamore target block that I had and attached it to the main chain with an S-hook. That’s it! We then let it rip and let the ‘hawks fly. It was a blast. I even stuck a few ‘hawks from 2 and 3 rotations with the block swinging. We decided that having the swinging target able to rotate was a good thing. That way we could use both sides of the target.  After doing this test we decided that the set-up need not be any more complicated than this.  During the recent holiday weekend we tested the set-up with a few other friends and all seemed to think that this was a great new innovation. Because the target is constantly moving we had many more misses than throwing at a stationery target. This results in the ‘hawks getting beat up and dirty and even handles breaking at a much higher rate than normal. “Buyer beware”. The moving target will certainly challenge the integrity of your tomahawks. It seems that a smaller lighter ‘hawk is more suited for this as you need to be more responsive to where the target is at any given instance and have a quicker throw. I use the amazing Beaver Bill Mouse Hawk, because it is lighter with a shorter but full size handle which makes it very sturdy but quick to throw. Really any of the “Thin-Line” models work for this because of their superior “sticking” ability. With the target spinning and the ‘hawk trying to penetrate the grain at various angles, you need all “sticking” power you can get.  We came up with several ideas for various competitive games to use with the moving target that we are going to try out. Mean time, give this a try, you will really enjoy it! Now have fun!

New Target Blocks

Just got a new shipment of tomahawk target blocks in. If anyone needs any just let me know! Just kiddin’. I’m not sure the origins of this picture but I couldn’t resist posting it. That would make a lot of targets though! I hope those horses did’t have to go up any hills… or down any! Wouldn’t want that to get out of control.

The One, One and a Half Combo Throw

This demonstrates the one, one and a half combo tomahawk throw. It is important to find two hawks that are “matched” for this throw. That means that they shouldn’t be matched at all. Usually this requires a longer, heavier hawk for the one rotation and a shorter, lighter hawk for the one and a half rotation. The idea is that one hawk must rotate one time and the other hawk rotates 1 and a half times in the same distance. Now have fun!

Sidewinder Tomahawk Throw Video

This video demonstrates the right and left-handed sidewinder tomahawk throw. This is from the one-rotation distance. I have also done this from two-rotations. Much like the standard overhead throw, when the hawk leaves your hand it has a somewhat “natural” rotation to it. This makes it fairly easy to stick consistently as long as you are the correct distance away from the target. The main problem is that un-like the standard overhead throw, this throw is hard to aim making for some wild off to the side throws, so be careful when trying this. I just happen to be using a Beaver Bill “Thin-Line” hawk for the left-hand throw and a heavily modified “Best Competition Throwing Hawk” from Hatchetsandaxes.com for the right-hand throw. Now go have fun!

Tomahawk Blade Thickness Comparison

Blade Thickness Comparison

I thought it might be interesting to compare the thickness of the blades of some different kinds of tomahawks. You can click on the picture above for a larger image. Throwing ‘hawks come in as many sizes as there are makers. Basically they will be close in the overall dimensions mostly to conform to established rules for throwing competitions which specify a blade that gives no more than a 4 inch cut. Other than that though anything goes. The biggest difference is the thickness of the blades which affects the weight of the ‘hawk. You can see from the picture above that there is a wide variety. Since, I am concerned only with throwing and sticking a ‘hawk I much prefer the thinner models. These just plain stick better! No way around it. They are also lighter which means throwing for distance with less fatigue in my shoulder. The TomahawkGuys have stuck ‘hawks at 7 or 8 rotations from 96 feet and 98 feet and all our long throws have been done with a Beaver Bill Thin Line model. If you want your ‘hawk to be a little more versatile and need to be able to do some chopping with it then a thicker model would be a better choice. I have used my Beaver Bill Premium model to chop large wild grape vines in the woods. If you are planning on doing any chopping then you would also want to make sure the ‘hawk has a heat treated or hardened blade. Many of the less expensive import models are softer steel. Even though the blades may be twice as thick the edge tends to not hold the sharpness as long or may even curl if you get it too sharp.