Types of wood for hafts

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gcs

Joined
Mar 3, 2007
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I know Hickory is highly rated, and readily available as a rule, but suppose you wanted/needed to make your own?
I have an unlimited supply of eastern Ironwood,(Horn bean, hop horn, or whatever it's called)

I've used it to make wood staffs for my son's martial arts class.

Anyone have experience with this wood? any other suggestions?
 
Well Ash is one of the most common materials: is nearly as good as hickory while being pretty common (at least here).

while Ash and Hickory are by far the most common materials in commercial tools (with unspecified "hardwood" for the least expensive), there are some other choices I've heard of:
Sweet Chestnut:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Chestnut
Acacia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia
Juniper:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper
Maybe taxus (wood is slightly toxic when fresh), although most people consider it to rare/expensive for that sort of stuff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxus

Read somewhere that inuit tools have birch handles, maybe because that's the most common wood available to them, so it is probably OK.

Some people consider that woods good for bows are good haft. wonder how rattan would perform, it is said to be quite imprevious to shocks, but might be too springy though.
 
i have used maple from my backyard for hatchet handles before. it works about as well as anything else, but i am generally careful about knocking the handles around too much.

the handles also have several small knots and they don't have the best grain. sometimes i wonder if people aren't a little more picky about tool handles than they really have to be. either way its best to be safe rather than sorry.
 
I have used Hard Rock Maple with a good straight grain. Works great
 
Wood from several birch species was and is still used as axe handle material in Scandinavia and Russia. The Siberian axes popping up lately have birch handles, so the Finnish Roselli axes.

As for gcs's original question, according to the following link, eastern hophornbeam is used as axe handle material, and is probably a good one for that.:thumbup:

Quote:
"This wood is still used for ax handles and occasionally for archery bows."

Link:

http://northeasternwoodworker.org/W...ophornbeam/Wood_of_the_Month-hophornbeam1.htm
 
gcs said:
I have an unlimited supply of eastern Ironwood,(Horn bean, hop horn, or whatever it's called)

I've used it to make wood staffs for my son's martial arts class.
Click to expand...
gcs-would you make jo sticks for others?
 
Thanks for the responses, and the link littleknife, fudo, I'm flattered you ask, but I'm not a true "craftsman", I can get stuff done, but as for doing it for others...

Maybe, the next time I get up to the property, I'll cut some blanks, and if there's any interest, whoever wants can give it a go.
 
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