Cold Steel Trail Hawk Used as an Ice Chisel


IA Woodsman

IA Woodsman

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When I did a lot of winter camping we used to take an ice chisel. We used to do some fishing and it is a lot easier to get water from the lake that melting snow all of the time.

While walking around in the hills today I wondered how deep the ice was. I did not have a ice chisel, but I did have my trail hawk. So I thought I would try to make a functioning ice chisel with the head of the hawk.

I got a Hickory sapling and used the head as a wedge to split the end.

TH1.jpg


I then placed the head into the split. I used a Canadian Jam to keep the wood from splitting any further.

TH2.jpg


I tied another Canadian Jam on the very end of the split to keep the head in place. I wrapped the extra 550 from both knots to help secure the head in place.

TH3.jpg


The iced ended up being about 10" thick.

TH4.jpg


It took about 5 minutes, but we had water.

TH5.jpg
 
10" of ice huh... yea, it's way too warm here for that. Great idea though Terry..!

Sk
 
Bastard! I want 10" of good ice. I havn't been ice fishing yet this year.

Oh and goof improvising there boss.
 
This is something I seriously need to consider because our lakes are in the same condition here in the winter. The ice wasnt bad on your blade?
 
Lynn thompson should send you a Christmas card as many of those things as you've sold for him. How did your edge stand up to the ice?
 
Please understand as I ask this question I'm working on my tolerances but what are the advantages of a chisel over chopping at the ice with it normally?
 
Oh crud. Cold steel better have a good stock on these, they're about to sell out again.
 
Sweeney, chiseling is way easier for thicker ice then chopping. And chopping means making a bigger hole the thicker the ice.

And if the shaft of the chisel is made long enough you can stand fully upright, instead of on your knees getting wetter then standing.
 
IdahoSpud said:
This is something I seriously need to consider because our lakes are in the same condition here in the winter. The ice wasnt bad on your blade?
Click to expand...

Dross said:
Lynn thompson should send you a Christmas card as many of those things as you've sold for him. How did your edge stand up to the ice?
Click to expand...
It held up great.
Sweeneyguy said:
Please understand as I ask this question I'm working on my tolerances but what are the advantages of a chisel over chopping at the ice with it normally?
Click to expand...

Skab hit the nail on the head.
 
With a chisel end, you would also add some heft and momentum with a long handle attached. I hadn't thought of that until seeing Skab's and IA's comment.
 
Chiseling is also safer than chopping. Pure ice, as opposed to frozen snow ice, is very hard and I have seen and heard of many injuries from a glancing axe or hatchet blow. I remember my dad making ice "spuds" from 1 1/2" galvy pipe beat down on one end. Heavy to work with but needed for Northern Michigan ice. Thank Woodsman for the post.
 
Great idea, thank you. Another reason to love the versatility of the hawk...
 
Hubb said:
Is there anything you can't do with a Trail Hawk?
Click to expand...

i don't think it would be good to use as T.P. :58: (IA if you figure it out, I don't want to see)

other than that, seems like IA can do ANYTHING with a trail hawk. nice post IA, thank you!
 
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