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assasin16	Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 7:59 AM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 7:59 AM EST I just bought a Hachet from home depot for about 20$. My only problem is it is pretty dull, i know its made for chopping wood...but if i sharpen it up, i could easily severe a head. Any thoughts? Post reply Do you find this valuable? Keyword tags: blades Close Combat Defense defensive Fire Arms Hand improvised Melee Quarters weapons
P0LaND	1. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 8:49 AM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 8:49 AM EST Someone probably has better specs on this than I do, but I've always been very skeptical on the whole "I can sever a head with any sharpened blade." Just thinking logically with your hatchet, because of the short handle you'll be swinging it with one hand, right? This would take away a lot of the power you would need to cut through a lot of connective tissue, and a little bit a bone. That and, have you measured the width of the blade? Is it wider than the average human neck? Personally, I think if you sharpened it, it would do a heck of a lot of damage on that one zombie, but would probably dig into the neck and stay there, based on it being swung with one arm and with a small blade width. There is also the fact that you'd be putting yourself within arm's reach of the zed as you swung it. Don't get me wrong, a good hatchet is a great tool. You just might not want to make it a planned weapon to use... Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
brandon_a_boyer	2. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 2:33 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 2:33 PM EST As a tool Hatchets are not supposed to be shaving sharp. If the blade is too sharp, it has a tendency to stick into wood. Having said that, when an axe or blade comes from a store it rarely has a good edge on it, most places have a "utility" edge on the tool/weapon so that the guy buying it doesn't hurt himself. You can use a file to sharpen the blade a bit, finish with a coarse stone, but don't expect to shave with it. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
inu-dude25	3. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 2:37 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 2:37 PM EST "I just bought a Hachet from home depot for about 20$. My only problem is it is pretty dull, i know its made for chopping wood...but if i sharpen it up, i could easily severe a head. Any thoughts?" Easily sever a head? You have experience with this? Or have you just seen a bunch of movies and assume a twenty dollar hatchet will pick up a razor quality edge and cleave people apart? In a pinch, yeah you could probably hack somethings head off with multiple blows, but as for a Home Depot hatchet just decapitating in a single swing, if that was true, would Home Depot have sold it to you? Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
P0LaND	4. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 3:44 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 3:44 PM EST "Easily sever a head? You have experience with this? Or have you just seen a bunch of movies and assume a twenty dollar hatchet will pick up a razor quality edge and cleave people apart? In a pinch, yeah you could probably hack somethings head off with multiple blows, but as for a Home Depot hatchet just decapitating in a single swing, if that was true, would Home Depot have sold it to you?" Probably. It's not like they don't normally sell dangerous tools and equipment. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Whybother08	5. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 3:57 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 3:57 PM EST Where's that damn fox? He should be here by now... Post reply Do you find this valuable?
DLOWTHEMAD	6. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 4:15 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 4:15 PM EST " but as for a Home Depot hatchet just decapitating in a single swing, if that was true, would Home Depot have sold it to you?" At least... Would they have sold it for only $20? Post reply Do you find this valuable?
randomknife666	7. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 4:36 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 4:36 PM EST "Where's that damn fox? He should be here by now..." agreed... Post reply Do you find this valuable?
2WheeledSpeed	8. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 4:38 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 4:38 PM EST "agreed..." Don't worry, merely by mentioning the Fox you have summoned him. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
PaganArcher	9. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 5:01 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 5:01 PM EST The Fox will appear since you have invoked his name Post reply Do you find this valuable?
DonovanRichter	10. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 6:15 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 6:17 PM EST Hears a force calling out to his soul from the ether and appears carrying a bowl of white rice with a pickled plum atop it Mheheheheheh, sorry I'm late, just got back from blessing my own nishiki. =^_^= Where were we, ah yes, the subjects of hatchets. Well, I don't think your goal should be to decapitate the zombie using a hatchet. =_= Historically speaking, decapitation is generally performed with broader blades.. (and behind the victim, where the vertebrae are seen clearly) The hatchet likely isn't wide enough to take off a head in a single stroke, and you do only have one stroke due to its short range. =^_^= The hatchet is a great instrument to carry if you have a rifle as your main weapon though for sure! =^_^= Hatchets are handy tools and can even be used as weapons, but your best bet is a simple downward strike in order to embed the blade into the thing's skull. Try to reach out as if in a fencing lunge with your attacking arm turned toward the zombie for maximum range. Should you miss, practice a quick recovery as you backstep and try again. You really only want to use such a thing as a last ditch effort, run before you would resort to employing a hatchet against a zombie and it will likely get stuck due to the nature of the strike and your own hand positioning, so get ready to leave it behind if you've more than one attacker. =_= In this sense it may best be viewed as an, "open up the group of attackers to create an escape route," weapon. Fortunately, sharpness really doesn't count for much in the world of axes due to the wedge shape. Historical accounts show that most thin blades are viewed as being useless for cutting at people (and shields and armor...) once dulled, but axes rarely have this problem. (The transitional period from the bronze age to the iron age shows this quite clearly.) Chances are you don't need a razor edge on it to make it through the cranium. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DonovanRichter	11. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 6:16 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 6:16 PM EST Sideways angled strikes may very quickly be caught up on the zombie's outstretched arms and are best avoided. =^_^= You probably don't want to chop at the arms lest they end up smearing blood all over you, but you may want to take the time to bludgeon the things hands with the backend before moving in. =^_^= Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
oldannyboy37	12. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 6:27 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 6:27 PM EST I don't know about severing a head, I doubt it would be easy. Really hatchets are tools, but if you stuck one in someone's brain bucket I'd say that'd be just as effective as severing a head. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Filadog	13. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 7:15 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 7:15 PM EST I used to make my living making small axes and hatchets and still buy and sell as well as collect old ones...Like to think I know a little about them You want your hatchet as sharp as you can make it.Tradtionaly wood workers and lumber men used axes with very keen edges and is not an exageration to say that probably many could shave with them. I'm friends with a master boat builder and I know he can shave the hair of his arm with a hewing hatchet he got from me. Sharpening axes was a big thing with lumber jacks and most camps had one man whose job it was to do it though each man was expected to keep his touched up during the day. You have better believe they did not work with dull axes !....If you ever do any chopping or other work with an axe you will soon see how important it is to have a sharp edge Some hatchets might be to hard to sharpen with a file but even if you can sharpen with a file you need to put the final edge on with a stone or sand paper I used to breed horses and when I put one down I would cut it's head off to save the skull. I cut many off with a small tomahawk and while I didn't cut them off of course in one stroke .it didn't take very many.. I had a standing bet with the people that worked for me I could do it in less then 30 seconds and never lost Once put a horse down in the back of a horse van with a fire axe and only took one hit and another one with a regular axe after a guy botched the job using a 12 ga. slug If you bought your hatchet from Home depot I am sure it is low quality. Much better to buy a nicer higher quality older one at a flea market or auction. Look for a Collins, Plumb, Kelly or Mann though many other good makers too. Very easy to get a good hatchet or axe for around $5 so don't buy one that has problems such as rust, bad handles, or been sharpened up. Might want to put on a longer handle too Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
timberrattler	14. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 7:50 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 7:50 PM EST " I used to breed horses and when I put one down I would cut it's head off to save the skull. I cut many off with a small tomahawk and while I didn't cut them off of course in one stroke .it didn't take very many.. I had a standing bet with the people that worked for me I could do it in less then 30 seconds and never lost Once put a horse down in the back of a horse van with a fire axe and only took one hit and another one with a regular axe after a guy botched the job using a 12 ga. slug " What in the name of all thats good and holy would you want with your dead mounts skull? My horses are like my dogs in that I care very deeply for them. The idea of disrespecting their remains in such a way would never enter my mind. How you'd manage a good enough swing with a fire axe inside a stock van is beyond me. A cow, sheep, pig or chicken? I could care less. But a horse or a dog? No f&cking way. Either way it was an interesting story of animal abuse and horse slaying. You must be very proud and well respected for the speed in which you chop off dead horse's heads. Post reply 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Filadog	15. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 9:28 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 9:28 PM EST "What in the name of all thats good and holy would you want with your dead mounts skull? My horses are like my dogs in that I care very deeply for them. The idea of disrespecting their remains in such a way would never enter my mind. How you'd manage a good enough swing with a fire axe inside a stock van is beyond me." I bred thoroughbred horses as a business, during peak times of the year we had as many as 300 on the farm. Normaly foaled between 75 and 100 foals. They were not my "mount" or pets as it sounds like your horses are but livestock I think it's sort of like comparing the feelings a girl has for her calf shes raised for 4H and a rancher that has 100s of beef cattle Sometimes they needed to be put down because of health reasons, Age or just no longer productive and I normaly shot them myself. Certainly never bothered me to cut a dead horses head off, I always liked skulls and bones etc so was natural to keep the Horse Skulls. I used to just drag the dead horse into the woods and get them there but then had fox hunting friends that wanted the horses to feed to the dogs so I started to cut the heads off to keep the skulls. Used to hang them in my forge shop and have a few in the house even. Sort of goes with my "decor" : ) Heres one out in my kitchen now http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/2300199/aview/1299635425112_001.JPG Plenty of room to swing a small fire axe in the back of a Horse Van, they have ceilings that are probably 7 ft. tall and the horse which was suffering from colic and had a ruptured stomach was laying over a divider after it tried to jump out of the stall...didn't get that skull because I left it that vet hospital that did the autopsy. Probably to much damage to make ffor a good display piece anyway Post reply Do you find this valuable?
DonovanRichter	16. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 9:29 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 9:29 PM EST Mheheheh, yeah sorry fila but I'm with TR on this one.. that does sound kinda creepy... =^_^;;= You're absolutely right about the price though! I have to reiterate, a good axe can cost no more than eight dollars. Mine's great and it only cost me two bucks at a yard sale. =^__^= And yeah, lumberjacks definitely stand to gain from having a sharp axe, but in combat situations people with access to soft metal seemed to complain more about soft sword blades blunting than axe heads, suggesting that the wedge still allows the thing to function well enough. Some axes were made with a hard edge and a soft core but that's a trait you find with most swords from the transitional period from bronze to iron. (Before steel where metal would either hold and edge and be brittle or not hold an edge and be too soft) =^_^= I figure then, that axes are still plenty lethal even without a good edge. =_= Besides, I figure the OP's hatchet is sharp enough to do the job. It can't have come that bad right? I just figure it doesn't have to be shaving quality. =^_^= Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DonovanRichter	17. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 9:33 PM EST \| Post edited: Mar 8 2011, 9:33 PM EST " I used to just drag the dead horse into the woods and get them there but then had fox hunting friends that wanted the horses to feed to the dogs so I started to cut the heads off to keep the skulls." Eh... ungh... =O_O= you... w... Post reply Do you find this valuable?
inu-dude25	18. RE: Hachets... Mar 8 2011, 10:51 PM EST "Probably. It's not like they don't normally sell dangerous tools and equipment." Well yes, but those are generally intended to be tools and most have safety shielding or killswitches. Find a chainsaw there that doesn't have some sort of grip to keep it running or a table saw that doesn't have a safety guide on it at Home Depot. Similarly, they may sell hatchets, but you aren't getting serious, real tree-chopping axes and such there. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
brandon_a_boyer	19. RE: Hachets... Mar 9 2011, 1:13 AM EST \| Post edited: Mar 9 2011, 1:13 AM EST " Find a chainsaw there that doesn't have some sort of grip to keep it running or a table saw that doesn't have a safety guide on it at Home Depot. " It's amazing how quickly those guards get taken off by people that know what they are doing. Although now they've got table saws to the point that if you make contact with the blade there is a safety mechanism that slaps down on the blade and stops it damn near instantly. Post reply Do you find this valuable?

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