Modify a Tomahawk

Step 4: Dress head and handle

At this point I turned my attention to how the axe head fit onto the handle.  Frankly it was kind of crappy.  The sharp edges around the hole where the handle went had left some marks on the handle.  I used a fine metal file to 'relieve' the edges around the hole. 

I also used a belt sander then some finer weights of sandpaper to reshape the cutting edge.  There are numerous resources on the internet on how to get a good edge on an axe head.  I didnt go for razor sharp - I got to 220 grit paper and it was plenty sharp.

There was also some 'play' in the fit between the handle and the axe head.  So I sanded down the entire handle, removing what seemed to be a glossy polyuruthane coating.   I then further lightly used a rasp and sand paper to make the axe handle seat better in the axe head.

A tomahawk like this does not have a pin or wedge holding the head on the handle.  Instead the handle tapers wider at the top - sort of 'trapping' the head on the handle.  Be careful not to take off too much material so that the head will slide off.  You can see in my pics that the head sits slightly closer to the end of the handle in the finished pic, versus the original placement.