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question about handle making
- Thread starter jblyttle
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- Aug 28, 2010
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Ipe is significantly stronger than hickory. A lot stiffer, too.
Tough to carve into an axe handle without using power tools?
Modulus of Rupture
Hickory: 20,200
Ipe: 25,660
Crushing Strength
Hickory: 9,210
Ipe: 13,600
Janka Hardness
Hickory: 1,880
Ipe: 3,510
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/ipe/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/shagbark-hickory/
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/modulus-of-rupture/
Yes, tough to carve because of the hardness and density, but also a bitch because of surprise tearout. It can have tiny little dense knots and swirls that practically explode when you run a draw knife or spokeshave through them. Belt sander would be your best friend here.
The cool thing is that ipe is extremely flexible and springy when the grain is well aligned. You could make a handle considerably thinner than even an old vintage handle, and still benefit from the increased strength.
Check this out
The cool thing is that ipe is extremely flexible and springy when the grain is well aligned. You could make a handle considerably thinner than even an old vintage handle, and still benefit from the increased strength.
Check this out
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- Joined
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Starting with a straight 11 inch hammer handle. Keeping it simple, will see how it goes.
Prepare thyself! They built the boardwalk in Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Francis Beidler Forest with cumara and ipe. At Corkscrew they had 55-gallon drums full of dull drill bits when they finished installed the decking. Apparently a bit was shot in about 20-30 minutes of use in the ipe (as you couldn't install screws directly). And they went through power tools like crazy too (from the Francis Beidler director).
I heard/read a ton of horror stories about drilling into ipe when I was getting ready to build a deck with the stuff last summer. I used normal dewalt drill bits and didn't break a single bit in a couple thousand holes. My buddy (no experience or finesse) broke four or five bits, drilling less than me. So, drilling wasn't as bad as predicted. Cutting wasn't as bad as we thought it'd be, either. My 18v battery drills never bogged down or overheated. Putting screws into the stuff was a different story, though! You couldn't keep from snapping even waxed screws in the ipe, it was a given, like every 100th screw was going to snap. Crazy.
Ha! maybe. I've been considering making a wooden mallet out of some of the cumaru I have. or at least "plating" the wooden mallet I already have.
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OK get ready for some pics. It is done, except maybe for a metal wedge and some oil.
This was done solely with hand tools except for cutting the kerf and beveling the butt of the handle. Mostly with a rasp, some with a half round single cut file, and sandpaper 60-100-150-220. I never used a clamp or a vise, this was handle in one hand, rasp in the other. The wedge was made from a slice of of an old hickory hatchet handle. The only flaw was when that split when pounding it in, but I think that I can cover that with placing a metal wedge right in the split. After 220 grit, this hard handle feels like velvet. The only thing that I can't decide is if I should leave this tough wood alone or linseed oil it. It will darken with the oil. This hammer ended up weighing 36 ounces and being 10.5 inches long. I call him...Mini Mjolnir.
This was done solely with hand tools except for cutting the kerf and beveling the butt of the handle. Mostly with a rasp, some with a half round single cut file, and sandpaper 60-100-150-220. I never used a clamp or a vise, this was handle in one hand, rasp in the other. The wedge was made from a slice of of an old hickory hatchet handle. The only flaw was when that split when pounding it in, but I think that I can cover that with placing a metal wedge right in the split. After 220 grit, this hard handle feels like velvet. The only thing that I can't decide is if I should leave this tough wood alone or linseed oil it. It will darken with the oil. This hammer ended up weighing 36 ounces and being 10.5 inches long. I call him...Mini Mjolnir.
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I could never recommend this ipe wood for commercial handle applications due to the time it takes to shape, but I HIGHLY recommend it to individual crafters looking for a good project material for their own products. It was easy to work as long as scraping/sanding was used, blades would never work- I tried a Mora and although it bit the wood easily enough I could not control the shape/way that the wood came away. Rasping/filing/sanding was fine. The wood is beautiful and I enjoy knowing how tough it is. I have rehung older handles and hung new handles, but this is the first piece of wood that I have shaped and hung myself. I enjoy knowing that this tool could outlast a couple of generations if treated properly. It should be noted that aside from my time and the excellent learning process, this nice new hammer cost me $1.
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Neat little sledge! Turned out great.
It's a nice feeling not having to toss a usable head out or relegate it into the 'someday I'll get at this' bin. Hammer and sledge (and double bit) handles are great projects to learn from in advance of getting up the nerve/self confidence to tangle with curved hafts.
That turned out awesome, and thanks for the heads up on using rasps over blades. I assume you could rough a bowl out with a hatchet, but I have heard that trying to carve it is difficult, and you've confirmed that as well. I definitely like the linseed oil on it. It will help with the feel as well when using the hammer. Ipe apparently has a 60-year outdoor lifespan (in or out of the water) without any chemical treatment, so that handle should last essentially forever if treated and stored well. Very cool!
Question: did it take a lot of linseed? I've also been told staining ipe and cumaru is difficult as the stain will sometimes just sit on top of the wood with very little penetration. Any issued with the linseed oil?
Question: did it take a lot of linseed? I've also been told staining ipe and cumaru is difficult as the stain will sometimes just sit on top of the wood with very little penetration. Any issued with the linseed oil?
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It took one coat and that was about it. The end grain took more but that's normal. I would say that it took less than half of what hickory would take, but where it isn't even really needed I'm don't care at all. I just like the darkening. I'll do the beeswax/linseed oil/turp finish over the weekend just for fun.
Thanks for the feedback everyone, it was fun. I don't have any with enough girth for big swells, but TONS of the stuff for straight handles. This won't be my last time working with it.