Notes On Axe Handles

Steve Tall said:
Perhaps it's Curupay? It surpasses hickory in some measures:

Curupay
Janka Hardness: 3,630 lbf (16,150 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 28,010 lbf/in2 (193.2 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 2,617,000 lbf/in2 (18.04 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 13,700 lbf/in2 (94.4 MPa)
http://www.wood-database.com/curupay/

Shagbark Hickory
Janka Hardness: 1,880 lbf (8,360 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 20,200 lbf/in2 (139.3 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 2,160,000 lbf/in2 (14.90 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 9,210 lbf/in2 (63.5 MPa)
http://www.wood-database.com/shagbark-hickory/

Or perhaps it's "Guayabi"? It's said to be preferred to hickory for ax handles (in Paraguay, at least).
content

from Consular Reports, 1896

Is "Guayabi" the same as "Guayabo", whose Modulus of Rupture, Modulus of Elasticity, and Work to Prop. Limit, all surpass that of Hickory, as shown in the table linked below:
Report about wood testing program in Panama
Click to expand...
Common Name(s): Argentine Osage Orange, Fustic



Scientific Name: Maclura tinctoria (syn. Chlorophora tinctoria, Morus tinctoria)

Distribution: Tropical America (West Indies, Central and South America)

Tree Size: 60-80 ft (18-25 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 57 lbs/ft3 (910 kg/m3)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .75, .91

Janka Hardness: 2,380 lbf (10,590 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 19,560 lbf/in2 (134.9 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 2,160,000 lbf/in2 (14.90 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 11,710 lbf/in2 (80.8 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.4%, Tangential: 5.4%, Volumetric: 7.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.6

Close? A little harder and heavier. Still flexible.
 
Ernest, when I made my statements about American Hickory I did say "take it or leave it". From your comments it looks like you are not able to do that.
 
300Six said:
A persistent/determined user of wood-handled chopping implements chooses favourites based on previous experience (along with hearsay from peers) and from being cognizant of what can be expected (namely 'scientific' testing) of the material. "Wood", however, is a spectacular material that can readily defeat attempts to 'pigeon hole' it's practical properties because one naive user will blithely hang an axe with 'horribly run-out' and/or 'inopportune' grain orientation whereas another will patiently await the exact 'right' piece.
I like to think I know what I'm doing and have learned what to look for and have gradually become a 'nut' for local Ironwood (Hophornbeam) but have yet to find 'magical' pieces that (I believe) will live up to my expectations. Hickory on the other hand (even the Bitternut version that grows around here) shows the potential for wonderful blanks anytime I visit a nearby milling or land clearing operation. Same goes for Oak, Maple, Ash, Yellow Birch and Beech that are native here.
Click to expand...
Great, ( and I would say realistic) attitude ought6. These classic woods are indeed the reliable ones. But it's the magical ones that make it interesting, for some of us.
 
I have just discovered something I really do not like about this site (I guess the entire internet is this way) A person who posts can later modify what they posted to remove something nasty or nice that they previously posted. I was raised in a time when if you said it, you owned it. Then, if you were wrong you either explained or apologized (which I have done here in the past). But now, you can just erase what you said and not take responsibility. I really hate this modern world. It is time for me to go back to the woods where I am most comfortable and pretend the world is still the place I remember from my youth. Good luck boys.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure what happened as I never saw anything. But in general, when someone lacks the courage to take responsibility for their actions it is disappointing.
 
Agent_H said:
I don't want to see Bernie leave this discussion - or any of our discussions here actually.
Click to expand...
Of course not who would but wow, with one sweeping accusation everyone who's registered up on the site is now suspect of being disingenuous. I'll put it mildly and ask, was that really called for?
 
I have finally received word from Sebastian, back from the wildernesses of Tiera del Fuego, and now somewhere else in Chile, chill'n, naturally. The handle wood used by those locals is Amomyrtus luma, called there "luma". He writes it is yellow. I hate to draw comparisons between those in the southern half and in the northern half but on the face of it the tree struck me as similar to buckthorn or sloe even sea buckthorn, a piece of which I have poached one night some years back as a followup to my theory this was the wood used by the original settlers here in the swamps of Holland... which is interesting but maybe not so pertinent, and which among the old timers also was turned to for handling their tools. In fact, like many woods was purposely planted around the farm with the intention of maintaining their supplies. What else are you going to do?

This wood of Chile though seems not unrelated to the eucalyptus which coincides with my understanding of how the Australians would go about authentically handling their axe with Red Eucalyptus wood.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top