Osage Orange haft?

H

High_Noon

Joined
Nov 14, 2014
Messages
183
Does anyone have an opinion regarding the use of Osage Orange for an axe haft? Years ago, a friend of mine made a haft for his hatchet from Osage Orange and I always admired it. I have always loved Osage Orange as it's such a tough, durable wood. I recently purchased a True Temper/Kelly Flint Edge 3.5# head and I was thinking of possibly making my own haft from an Osage Orange stave. Obviously, I will need to find one with correct grain orientation. Since Osage Orange is such a dense, hard wood, it might be better to simply get a House Handle for my recent purchase and save the Osage haft project for a double bit I see in my future :D, since the double bit would require a straight haft. What say you?

Also, what about using Osage for wedges?
 
For those that aren't aware, "Osage Orange' is also known as hedgeapple..yes, the bearer of those green "fruits" that resemble a brain or a green cauliflower. It's one of the best possible woods used by bowyers, and was used extensively by North American Indian tribes for that purpose. As a fan of the Osage orange, my advice is, if the grain runs clean, by all means, use it.
 
AKA "Horse Apple", and "Bois d'arc". Lots of it around here. And I've heard that the natives used it for their bos as well. It's a very hard, durable wood!
 
LonnyRS said:
AKA "Horse Apple", and "Bois d'arc". Lots of it around here. And I've heard that the natives used it for their bos as well. It's a very hard, durable wood!
Click to expand...

Yes... Down here in Texas, we refer to it as Bois d'arc (pronounced: BO-DARK) . I used the Osage Orange name, as that seems to be a more commonly recognized. As a youngster, I made a self bow of Bois d'arc and it was a great bow until it split. Perhaps one day I will make another.
 
Last edited:
I have made a few hammer handles out of osage and they do work quite well. Follow the grain, follow the grain, follow the grain and not just the growth rings, you have to follow the grain perpendicular to the rings as well. Any splitting during use will be along the rings most likely or along the perpendicular grains, I have not seen nice seasoned bodark just snap across grain unless severly abused. Even on my hand hammers the handle is not truly straight due to following the grain, and these were the straightest pieces i could find in NE texas/red river area. If you want to make a full size axe handle out of bodark you will likely have to spend HOURS and DAYS looking for knot free straight grained piece 3 foot long
 
Well you already know what you are getting into. I have Osage bows that have lasted a very long time under hard use and abuse.
I can't think of a wood that would out perform Osage in a haft. I would not worry if the grain ran opposite in a straight handle. The handle could be made quite thin and still be stronger than hickory.

As you already know the challenge will be with finding a suitable stave. Nothing hides its faults quite like an Osage stave.

Mullberry would be worth considering also. Maybe easier to find a straight stave. Not in the same class as Osage but pretty dang good.
 
High_Noon said:
Does anyone have an opinion regarding the use of Osage Orange for an axe haft? Years ago, a friend of mine made a haft for his hatchet from Osage Orange and I always admired it. I have always loved Osage Orange as it's such a tough, durable wood. . . . .
Click to expand...

I don't know how it will work for an full size axe. I made a 15 in long handle for a 1 1/2 pound head out of Osage Orange. I think I made it about four years ago. The wood came out of a well seasoned log my uncle gave me.





I call it my "house axe" (although I don't think it is technically a true house axe). I use it for smaller chores, kindling etc. This head/handle combination has done very well for me.

The pictures were taken just after I finished it. Today the handle is darker (more the color of walnut). And the grain is not as distinctive.
 
rjdankert said:
I don't know how it will work for an full size axe. I made a 15 in long handle for a 1 1/2 pound head out of Osage Orange. I think I made it about four years ago. The wood came out of a well seasoned log my uncle gave me.





I call it my "house axe" (although I don't think it is technically a true house axe). I use it for smaller chores, kindling etc. This head/handle combination has done very well for me.

The pictures were taken just after I finished it. Today the handle is darker (more the color of walnut). And the grain is not as distinctive.
Click to expand...

That is beautiful, one of a kind. Hats off.
 
garry3 said:
. . . . .

Mullberry would be worth considering also. Maybe easier to find a straight stave. Not in the same class as Osage but pretty dang good.
Click to expand...

+1 on Mulberry. It is a close relative to Osage Orange. I don't see why it wouldn't be a good choice. Sorry for the picture quality, but hopefully you can get some idea of what it looks like:



Despite the photo, the grain and color are very much what it was in 2007 when I turned it. BTW, that's just a clear finish.
 
rjdankert said:
I don't know how it will work for an full size axe. I made a 15 in long handle for a 1 1/2 pound head out of Osage Orange. I think I made it about four years ago. The wood came out of a well seasoned log my uncle gave me. I call it my "house axe" (although I don't think it is technically a true house axe). I use it for smaller chores, kindling etc. This head/handle combination has done very well for me. The pictures were taken just after I finished it. Today the handle is darker (more the color of walnut). And the grain is not as distinctive.
Click to expand...

rjdankert - is that red oak you used for the wedge? Awesome job!

I do realize it will be incredibly difficult to both find a Bois d'arc stave that is free of knots and has excellent grain structure in the 30-32" range, but as rjdankert has clearly shown, the end product is definitely work the effort. Here in Texas, I have access to some land that has quite a bit of Bois d'arc, but it will take some time to get out there and find a good piece.
 
Warren20Labels202-9_zps80c2cd91.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

That stuff could hurt an axe.
 
High_Noon said:
rjdankert - is that red oak you used for the wedge? Awesome job!

I do realize it will be incredibly difficult to both find a Bois d'arc stave that is free of knots and has excellent grain structure in the 30-32" range, but as rjdankert has clearly shown, the end product is definitely work the effort. Here in Texas, I have access to some land that has quite a bit of Bois d'arc, but it will take some time to get out there and find a good piece.
Click to expand...

Its will be worth it and the stave doesn't have to be as good as a bow stave. In fact you can get away with more than just minor imperfections, it will just add some charactor to you haft.

I get away with things in a osage bow that would be certain failure with other woods.

Here is the end of my fishing bow. This Bow is better than a decade old and has survived many a capsize in a canoe. It gets a new coat of true oil on a regular basis.
The stave had drying checks pretty bad. I wasn't able to get rid of them all and still have enough thickness for a handle, so what I was able to do was lay out the bow so that the checks didn't run off the edge of the limbs. The checks are just on the back of the bow, they don't go all the way through.

This picture is the top limb showing a crack that runs right between the nocks and off the end of the bow. Only Osage could handle this.
P1010093_zpsa6402558.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Another bow limb with pin knotts. Little pin knots mean next to nothing for Osage. If you can't miss all of them just follow the grain out and around them. These knots would be death to a yew bow.
P1010091_zps77111278.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

If you run out of arrows hunting you could probable beat your pray to death with your osage bow and the bow probably wouldn't have a scratch.
 
garry3: Have you ever seen a Warren Bodark axe? Did it have a Bois d'arc haft?

Yes, Bois d'arc is an exceptionally tough wood. Fence posts in Texas (or anywhere else for that matter) made of Bois d'arc will certainly last more than a century. The only wood I know of that may be tougher is a wood called Pyinkado, which is native to Burma and S.E. Asia, but I do not know if it's as rot-resistant as Bois d'arc. By the way, very nice work on the bows. I have been planning to make another bow of Bois d'arc for years, but life and other priorities have gotten in the way. One day...

I have a hard copy of this book, which has a lot of great information on different types of timber. Pyinkado is discussed starting on p. 446.
https://archive.org/stream/manualofthetimbe030145mbp/manualofthetimbe030145mbp_djvu.txt

Also, today, I took my little daughter to approximately 15 antique stores at an antique mall in my neck of the woods. We were looking for old axes. Not-a-one to be found. Unfortunate.
 
Last edited:
Look around for clean out businesses in your area. Those guys tend to collect things and have at least a few hanging around if you ask them. They don't throw things away but also don't value them as much as we do. I have purchased as many as 15-20 vintage axes or hatchets at a time in this manner, usually at between $5-10 a piece, averaged for axes/hatchets/heads.
 
jblyttle said:
Look around for clean out businesses in your area. Those guys tend to collect things and have at least a few hanging around if you ask them. They don't throw things away but also don't value them as much as we do. I have purchased as many as 15-20 vintage axes or hatchets at a time in this manner, usually at between $5-10 a piece, averaged for axes/hatchets/heads.
Click to expand...


Good idea. I'll look into that.
 
I have never seen a Bodark axe, it is highly unlikley that it would have a osage haft. It just doesn't grow straight enough and it would kill the lathe knifes to turn it commercialy. Probably just a marketing to suggest that the axe was tuff.

I have never heard of Pyinkado. Its uses seem to suggest that it may well be very rot resistant. Stays sticky for years. The stuff is just light enough to float. There is probably lots of good woods that I will never get an opportunity to work with. I have heard that Australia has quite a variety of hard woods also. I used to mess with all kinds of domestic wood. I don't do that much of it any more. If I want to work on a bow most times it will be Osage or Yew. Your lucky to have it growing close at hand. I have seen 4 osage trees in all of Idaho.

I would think that Texas might be a little challengeing to find good vintage axe heads. When I go out picking for axes I like to get out where there was a lot of commercial logging and a lot of folks still use wood as there primary heat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top