Tomahawk Construction

Some primitive techniques for Tomahawk construction

Find a green sapling. This one is hickory

Then make a hand axe out of good flint. This good Georgetown flint from south Texas

Chop the sapling like you would with a metal axe. It will break the fibers and eventually you can break it off.

Now chop off a selected length for tomahawk shaft.

If you need to sharpen your hand axe during the process. Knock some flakes off the edge. Here I am using a moose antler billet.

Now, you need to cut off a usable length for the shaft.

Now you need to split the top half of the shaft to accept the head. To restrict the split from going too far down the shaft, wrap the shaft with wet rawhide just below the head cavity.

I am using a deer antler chisel to split the shaft, hammering it with the moose antler

Continue to chip out the cavity, using the antler chisel and a sharp flint flake

Put a stone in the cavity and wrap the ends together with wet rawhide. Wrap tightly and let dry for a day or two.