Combo Color Hafts

[28gauge]

Some of the hafts I received from cold steel are combo colored hickory, part pale yellow (the usual) and part darker (light brown) wood. Are these combo colors any less strong than the usual all solid light colored hickory?

 

[killa_concept]

Not much of one, it any at all - grain orientation is a lot more important and even then you probably won't notice on anything with a relatively short haft and a very light head. The prejudice against heartwood (light brown/red) came from a time when handles were mostly made from old growth and there was a noticeable difference between the densities of sapwood and heartwood.

". . .nor is the sapwood of hickory intrinsically stronger than the heartwood, as is sometimes claimed in connection with handle stock."

Source: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fpltn/fpltn-189-1936.pdf

"Over the years a prejudice has developed against the heartwood of hickory. Red hickory (heartwood) is often placed in a lower grade than white hickory (sapwood) simply because of its color. Tests by the Forest Products Laboratory have shown conclusively that red, white, and mixed red-and-white hickory have the same strength characteristics, regardless of color. The negative attitude toward red hickory developed during the days of virgin hickory stands. Under virgin-stand conditions the heartwood was often less dense and not as strong as the sapwood. In the second-growth stands of today this density difference does not exist, and specifications and utilization practices should be adjusted to take this fact into account."

Source: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/241hicko.pdf

 

[omniviking]

I live in Southern Missouri and there use to be some handle factories in the area, they wanted to by blanks for their handle making lathes and in hickory they did not want any heart wood this would be the red or darker colored wood in a handle. handles with color or small knots would be seconds. I have bought 2nd handles and they have lasted a long time.

They will work and if you think a $5 replacement handle is a bad price and if you wanted perfection of kiln dried, straight grain, no heart wood hickory or ash, just a blank to carve your own handle could be $10 or $20.

 

[Operator1975]

It is really a matter of personal preference. Supposedly the combo color handles are weaker, but I have never found that to be true. Actually, the combo colors one looked better when you stain them - usually give a better appearance if you are into that.