Black Watch Tomahawk Fighting. Video.

Carrying The Tomahawk[trade axe].

My thanks to Elmo for asking about the carrying and safety aspects of tomahawks. As far as the covering of blades is concerned, I think it was a personal choice based on experience. I told Elmo about the trapper who slipped on ice and fell on his tomahawk which had no blade cover and was carried under his belt. The blade cut his hand off as he tried to break his fall.

The typical and most common way for a woodsrunner to carry a tomahawk. This woodsman has removed the blade cover because he is using his tomahawk to construct a shelter.

Again, you can see the tomahawk through the back of my belt with a linen cloth cover on the blade. My half-axe is secured under the ties on my blanket roll.

This tomahawk frog belonged to a close friend of mine who went under some years ago. His persona was that of an ex Ranger and no longer needing to carry a bayonet for his Brown Bess musket, he ellected to make this frog to just carry his tomahawk. This shows my wife's belt axe in the frog.

http://www.tattershallarms.org/gear.html

This is the type of frog carried by some Rangers and light infantry.

This mid 18th century carrier is home made and designed to carry under the arm with the strap over the shoulder.

This I believe is a copy of an original late 18th century tomahawk blade cover. I would not take this to be one of common usage.