From Tree to Haft

C

craft

Joined
Feb 24, 2013
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42
Hey everyone. I've finally reached the stage where I want to make my own hafts from blanks. I had the opportunity to fell a shagbark hickory tree about two months ago. The 12-8" diameter tree was quarter-sawed, ends sealed, and stacked for drying. My plan is to bring the wood indoors at the end of this fall, where it will sit through the winter, then back outdoors next spring.

In terms of drying, I know the general rule is 1-year-per-inch for planks, does this rule apply to pieces that are more square? Has anyone been through this process and has any tips or wisdom to share about taking the blanks from this stage to being ready to shape hafts?

For anyone who does not own a copy, I highly recommend Understanding Wood, by Hoadley. Simply amazing book!

Here are my little precious darlings :D

haft.jpg
 
http://axeconnected.blogspot.com/2011/02/weak-handles.html

http://axeconnected.blogspot.com/2013/03/weak-handles-revisited.html


Those might be fun reading.

When I first started making my own handles, I couldn't let a piece of white ash sit for more than a month without losing my patience and carving it. I think, quite frankly, its silly to season a piece of wood that is 2 or 3 times the desired thickness of a good axe handle. Rough the handle out first, fit the head 90% of the way to done, saw a kerf and leave it for a bit. Way quicker that way, and less working then trying to chop a 5/8 or 3/4 inch handle out of a 2 or 3 inch piece of seasoned hickory.
 
G-pig said:
I think, quite frankly, its silly to season a piece of wood that is 2 or 3 times the desired thickness of a good axe handle. Rough the handle out first, fit the head 90% of the way to done, saw a kerf and leave it for a bit. Way quicker that way, and less working then trying to chop a 5/8 or 3/4 inch handle out of a 2 or 3 inch piece of seasoned hickory.
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I agree. But, not all of that wood will be used for handles. To be honest I'm not sure what I will do with all that wood, which is why I left it in the largest size possible, while being quarter-sawed to reduce any warping. I'm likely to use some of it in a joinery/work bench.

So, maybe I can select a few of the smaller pieces for handle use and rough them down to size? I'm worried that shaping a haft before it's had a chance to season significantly will raise the chances of warping, since the shaped handle will not have the same more-even tension of a rectangular blank.
 
craft said:
I agree. But, not all of that wood will be used for handles. To be honest I'm not sure what I will do with all that wood, which is why I left it in the largest size possible, while being quarter-sawed to reduce any warping. I'm likely to use some of it in a joinery/work bench.

So, maybe I can select a few of the smaller pieces for handle use and rough them down to size? I'm worried that shaping a haft before it's had a chance to season significantly will raise the chances of warping, since the shaped handle will not have the same more-even tension of a rectangular blank.
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Ive never had Ash warp, nor have I had Birch warp, despite carving both green. Sugar Maple will warp very readily, but I keep the handles hung and out of the sun, and those ones will not warp. I wouldn't worry too much about warping, especially since these are for all intents and purposes, "dry" at least compared to a green tree.
 
G-pig said:
Ive never had Ash warp, nor have I had Birch warp, despite carving both green. Sugar Maple will warp very readily, but I keep the handles hung and out of the sun, and those ones will not warp. I wouldn't worry too much about warping, especially since these are for all intents and purposes, "dry" at least compared to a green tree.
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I can always try one and see how it goes. The thinly sliced pieces that were left on top without any tension did warp slightly. I'm not in a real hurry to make anything, so I am okay letting it sit for now.
 
I don't think that place where the rack is standing is to good at all. Heat from the brick wall and cement bottom, looks like a lot of sun exposure and the back side is cut off from good circulation. Can't you find a place under some low hanging trees to stack the wood with some lightweight sheets of galvanized iron as a cover weighted down with cement tiles? Better yet, in place of stacking the wood horizontally, with the dimensions you have there if you dry them vertically the moisture loss will follow more closely a natural pattern and cause the least alteration of the wood structure, a technique the Japanese are aware of and use to the extent it is reasonable. Though you have sealed the end grain, in a place that gets to hot, the evaporation rate will fluctuate radically and cause periods of rapid moisture loss which will introduce tensions which will later manifest in twist and warpage.

Also there is what looks like loose bark on some of the pieces. This should be removed because it will give a place for insects to shelter next to the sapwood and lay eggs and the sapwood is subject to insect damage this way. Just cut it off with a drawknife.

Probably your stem was nice and straight so sawing has done little damage to the grain, still next time it would be better to split sections intended for handles out with a froe rather than sawing them. Much less trouble and it will give you better indication of the grain character as well, if the stem is straight.

E.DB.
 
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Hi Ernest, as always, your input in greatly appreciated. Yes, this spot is not ideal, but living in a dense urban area, I don't have many choices, this is at my father's house, who was gracious enough to give me some space. However, I can make some adjustments according to your suggestions. I will pull the enclosure away from the wall a few inches, and raise the bottom layer higher from the concrete, to achieve better circulation. The pieces in the front with bark were scraps, which I used as shingles to keep the rain/sun off the bottom layers. The bark pieces on top do need to be debarked, which will happen soon. These pieces will be used for small odds and ends, like wedges. The enclosure roof and adjacent house keep most of the direct sunlight off the stock.

I never thought of using a froe to split the wood, because I don't have much experience with one. I still have one piece, the largest 12-13" diameter 3.5 feet section of trunk to split. I carried all these pieces out of the bush in 60-80lb logs. The heaviest one was close to 100lbs and too big for my city dweller muscles. I need to make a log carrying backpack to handle that one.

I think I will look into getting a froe, because sawing was very messy and labour intensive. I will also make some changes to the stack based on your other points. Thanks again for your input and ideas :)

Peter
 
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