What is the Best Wood for Axe Handles?
2020 ж. 11 Ақп.
35 555 Рет қаралды
Head to head comparisons of some major contenders for axe handles, but it's not always cut and dried!
Head to head comparisons of some major contenders for axe handles, but it's not always cut and dried!
Cricket bats are made from a specialist 'cricket bat willow' [Salix alba Caerulea]. In some parts of England, farmers used to plant a row of these when a daughter was born. By the time she was ready to marry, the willows were cut and the blanks would be worth enough to pay for the wedding
I read an article once which if I remember correctly, stated that for many lumberjacks that Rock Elm was a favorite for its flexibility as well as better resistance to humidity changes. For men working all day in inclement conditions having an axe head stay tight as well as reducing rebound forces into the joints was something to be considered. I don't know this to be true, just something I remember reading somewhere.
Lane’s Borderline Asperger’s absorption into all things Axe, is undoubtedly the reason why I now have a basement of Axes, heads and handles... keep it up bro, I love it!
Borderline? Where is this so called border?!? ;)
🤣 OMG thank you for humor gentlemen! *"Hoorah"* 🪓
Sisyphus, "it's a long video, crack a cold one and let see where this goes" Dont threaten me with a good time. Keep nerding out over the subtleties of Axe science, it helps me feel like I'm normal. I too have pondered lobster aerodynamics into the wee hours of the night...
It's a serious condition.
Thanks for putting out the great videos! I have been putting handles on some of my old axes that have been neglected for years. I am learning is I go and your content helps me out a lot!
That's so great! Axes are cool.
Fantastic video, thank you for taking the time to make it.
Being from Alabama and living in a part of Texas where I have never seen a Hickory Tree, I’ve often wondered what the pioneers who migrated to Texas did when their handles broke. And what the Europeans did for 1000’s of years before Hickory was discovered. The answer is rather simple. They used the wood they hades
Omg I almost spewed coffee when the lobster diagram came up
Axes are cool, GREAT video !!! Thank you for all the information, helps me a lot! Best Regards from Germany, Jan 🌳⛺️🪓🌲
thank you sir.im rather late,but was making research on the strenght of different woods.i looove hickory because its exstremely strong and makes a fantastic bow to
Good video. Like the info and I am going to try to find a white oak handle for my double bit Collins
Love the commentary. Not only was it funny but very informal I have this axe I’m restoring my grandpa had it when he was in his 20’s and has passed it down to me. I got the axe head looking really nice but now am looking for the best handle
God gave us *"HICKORY TREES"* *""IM SUBSCRIBING, YOU HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR BRO, I AM SUPPORTING YOUR CHANNEL"*
Nice chopping lane ! Im glad we now have more good choices for handle wood.i just got a 30 red elm handle from killenger i cant wait to try it.thanks for making this video.
Red Elm would be very interesting to try.
Not sure if anyone will be paying attention to the comments at this point but it there’s a hardwood lumberyard here in Portland, Oregon that intentionally flies under the radar. They’re called Hurford Hardwoods/ Outback Hardwoods and they supply hardwood lumber to many of the wood crafting shops in the area including Woodcrafters, which is where I used to go to get slabs of hickory and ash. One thing they have at Hurfords that I find interesting is they have a bin of random hardwoods used as the boards that are put under stacks of plywood and such that elevate the product enough for a forklift to get under it. I grabbed one of these that was just wide enough to make the handle for a splitter which the yard employee swore was mahogany, for only $5! We were talking about what would be the criteria that would make for good axe handles and he said that Sitka Spruce has the best hardness /reflex ratio. Hard wood that is brittle is less than ideal for an axe handle whereas hard and somewhat flexible are more desirable.I can say this much about the mahogany: it felt a lot like hickory with less reverberation. I could use a spokeshave in both directions without tearing out. My draw knife would start to tear out but the fiber length wasn’t very long so it would break off an inch or two away without running. Anyways, if you’re in the Portland area this store worth checking out.
My guy said 500 yr storm and is legit doing research on wooden handles. Subbbbed
Spotted gun is widely used down here in Australia for years but all the top axes were sold with hickory handles. Most Racing Axes down here have Hickory handles too.
That spotted gum is tough stuff!
Gum is good but it’s hard to get straight grain that has no waves in it. I have broken a few now. Hickory is king for me. But the only way to get good hickory handles down here is to buy racing handles. The other two woods in your video sound good but I doubt we could get it down here. PS Love your videos
@@Sager-fs9bv g'day, if u wanna try something other than a race handle, you can get spare hultafors/HB or some granfors from a site called huntgathergrow, some of the online knife stores sell them too
Great video! Thanks for the info!
Excellent comparison, thanks. I prefer white ash as well. It's easy to get, easy to work into a good handle, and it's tough. I have used white birch for boys axe handles. It looks weird because the grain isn't straight, but It makes an excellent handle. I have also used hardhack, hophornbeam, for hatchets. It has crazy grain like birch, but it is tough and flexible. The ash is the winner, though.Thanks again.
I do little bucking or felling but I do a fair amount if splitting by hand, and should mention that I'll be 69 this spring (not bragging, I've simply noticed that economy of motion lets me continue to do what I used to do) I've restored a few axes and noted over time that the original handles tapered gracefully from the shoulder to the grip.Even those I passed by had the same general shape. I swing both ash and hickory, and over time, I understood that the flex of a pared handle is key, and that ash swings very well. Light and flexible woks for me...
The previous 3 generations of my family back in Northern England were master woodscraftsmen, boat builders, shipbuilder, journeyman carpenters and woodcarvers. I have grown up with axes and hatchets around me and they were 90% Ash 10% English Oak, barring my dad's 4lb Gilpin hewing axe which is Brazilian Mohogany, that was used hard and was hafted over 50 years ago.
My grandfather left me an American-made ax. and I'm keeping it as a very valuable keepsake. ash wood is an optimal choice for the ax handle. I think so☺
@@XaLoiVlog In the UK Ash handles were very popular.
White Ash is the favored wood in Nova Scotia for axe handles - it is very flexible, has great shock absorption, has a good strength to weight ratio and the wood gets smoother with use. The really good feature, though, is that it won't sting your hands on the strike. Old choppers here would never use birch or maple for a double bit handle because it can be really hard on the hands - especially on a cold winter day. If strength is your main concern Ironwood (Hornbeam) is as close as you can get to unbreakable.
I have one made with iron horn! I love it
Iron wood takes a long time to cure I've heard and tends to shrink. I've thought about trying it. There's a lot of it around.
@@davidarwood6264 It can be a beast to split too. I used to carve martial arts swords out of it - so tough in kata and combat training that it just wouldn't break. Good money in it but too much work splitting it out.
And the moral of the story is... Axes are cool a lot of fun. Nice one 👍
I’ve got hickory and white oak on my land but not ash, if you’re interested in testing a little more. Edit: also have black locust that just may be good
Very helpfull explanations thank you. I want to manufacture my own drums sticks with ash wood,because in my country its impossible to find hickory and less dried oak wood but i can find heavy weight ash's wood.can you suggest to make drums sticks from ash wood? i need a strong,hard heavy weight wood ,i need your suggestions.thanks
I’m new here and I like your kind of science! Love the commentary, and the random “wooo”!! Feel like I need a 28” ash handle on my ol fat Kelly Michigan pattern.
Shorter handles are where it's at!
I like your channel, and what you talk about.
Osage Orange, Pacific Yew, Maple, and Cherry wood all need testing.
Cherry is much too brittle. Osage Orange would be the only contender of the ones you have listed....other than the yew??? Which I'm not familiar with
Ash absorbs the shock, is flexible and light. I use it for all tools including knife handles. I also use white oak. Plenty of both here in Fermanagh Ireland.
The lobster was a nice touch
Really enjoyed this. I've found that I like ash for shorter handles and smaller axes where it would be virtually impossible to exceed the capabilities of any wood anyway because it does feel lighter and doesn't seem to shock the hand as much. I haven't really used white oak handles much, but I'm intrigued by your idea of its use in straight handles especially for heavier heads like bigger double bits and big splitting axes/mauls. I don't tend to use those bigger guys, though, preferring to do most everything with a boys axe or cruiser. I am also very curious about red elm and beech, but I haven't ever gotten to try them.
Right! Ash for Small to medium size azes and Hickory for medium to large size axes. Also, If the axe is used more for spliting once in a while, I would choose Hickory. However if it's a Felling axe, that is used regularly I would like Ash for it's shock absorption abilities!
Excellent and informative video!! My one question for you is Why are you recommending the white oak handle for the LAMACA? If all 3 handles are so similar, why push the white oak? Or is it more specific to the cruiser axe? Not trying to start a fight Lane, just curious my friend
Love the feel! And it has a such a striking appearance when compared with the usual looks.
@@BushcraftSisyphus ok. Your videos are so informative and I personally appreciate all the hard work and research you put into them. I would've ordered my #69 in white oak but I wanted it to match my light forest handle. Keep up the great work!!!
I am currently experimenting with ironwood as axhandle wood. Just made one and added laminate of buckthorn on palmswells. Will see how well it holds up. Using on old 1800s single bit 4.5 lb. Ax that I drive falling wedges with.
I have done 4 ironwood handles. I have found that you have to kiln dry them otherwise when drying they crack and shrink and head loosens up, but dont when Heated. I just put 4 inches from top of woodstove. Couple days. Ironwood is hard as hell...
Nice notch @ 23:34. Your chopping has definitely improved.
Older video and late comment, but I was curious as to what your opinion is on Beech for handles. American Beech is a pretty common tree and I know the wood is hard and a great heating wood, but what about for handles? I am thinking about making a few from some of the hundreds of Beech trees on my property.
Helpful video😬👍🏻
Glad you think so!
I found a genuine Norlund I think it's the cabin model not stamped though shaped like it. Was wondering what degree you'd sharpen it to thanks
I'm bias for white ash because it's the wood of choice for the Hurly sticks which is the implament of my national sport.
nice Hultafors heads..I have a Hultafors dbl bit cruiser.
I watched the whole thing and enjoyed the video, but I’d also like to drop a comment. I’m by no means an expert, but I know you can only compare the physical properties of wood species on an average basis, as shown in the tables you included. Wood is part of a unique living organism and no two pieces can be considered truly equal. It was good of you to try to match up equally sized/profiled/graded handles and heads, but there’s so much more to take into account. Again, I’m no expert but just to rattle a few additional factors to consider there’s grain orientation and straightness, the degree of runout, amount of heartwood vs sapwood, fast vs slow growth trees (as in growth ring thicknesses), the specific species of wood, etc. The point here is that out of all the suitable species of wood for axes and similar tool handles, I think it’s far more important to select a great piece of wood over a specific species. Hardware stores are of full of complete junk handles made from Hickory that could be easily bested by better-made handles from other wood species. When they do get a decent handle in stock they usually don’t last long. If one is buying online, I’d only purchase from an auction site where you can see pictures of the specific handle being sold, or from one of the premium tool handle producers that make handles within acceptable parameters. A basic handle selection guide can be found at: www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf99232823/pdf99232823Pdpi72pt05.pdf
I just made up a 30" haft of White Oak for a Swedish Bahco 4lb (with a 'D' shaped eye) Forest Axe. I have not had time to evaluate it yet.
Thank you 🙏🙏🙏
I don't know much about woodworking but I love making axe handles, I used ash most of the time. I can also have access to black walnut, white oak and applewood. I was wondering if anyone had insight on those for axe handle making?
Whallup! I may try white oak in a splitting axe that I'm putting together.
Oak has a tendency to give splinter your hand
I'd like to see a yew handle. Using heartwood/sapwood makes great longbows. Were the three handles all sapwood?
I have a feeling yew would transfer the shock quite a bit, due to it's density, and also the lack of interlocking grain, which are qualities of both hickory and ash. It's a good question though, I could quite likely be wrong about that.
I would like to try it too. There's a lot I want to try! lol
Great comparison among the main woods used. I had never considered the weight really...but if you used it all day like they did back in the day then you would lean more to the lighter wood. I would like to see osage orange in the mix (maclura pomifera) becasue of the flexibility properties, hey the natives preferred it for bows. But I also understand the limited supply. Not everyone has a straight 18" diameter osage log hanging in their barn like me...I say that jokingly becasue everyone who sees it gives me grief over it. One day it's going to be made into bow and axe staves.
We're not sure how osage will react to the lathe cutters. We'll probably try it some day but we're not sure it would work well.
@@BushcraftSisyphus It is very hard and wreaks havoc on chainsaws. Especially the older bugger trees. Young trees are a little easier to work with.
Seconded! Osage is some of the most beautiful and durable wood you can get, it's hard as hickory and as flexible if not more than elm. Burns hotter than any other wood in North America and is more for resistant than cedar. It'll be hard to find a great commercial source but I'd love to know what such a dedicated axeman thought of it as a handle
@@Saw_Squatch: I used a leftover piece of Taxus Brevifolia (Pacific Yew) to make an 18" handle for a small hatchet. It works great, has wonderful "snap"...and is quite beautiful. The only downside is it dents fairly easily if your not careful.
@@BushcraftSisyphus: Thanks for the video. I was surprised that you didn't elaborate a little more on the fact that Hickory is also king in the world of vintage golf club shafts. My guess is...Hickory is the only wood that can be turned down really thin and still not break under great pressure. I have about two dozen vintage Hickory shafted golf clubs...all of them with the original or period shafts. I usually have to reset the heads, replace the grip wrap, straighten the shaft a little bit and slather them down with a few coats of flaxseed oil. But after a couple of days of drying...they're ready for the course. Most of them are over a hundred years old...and I haven't yet had one break. Hickory is truly INCREDIBLE! Having said that...I was pleasantly surprised to find a Spotted Gum handle on a near mint 4.5# Hytest Craftsman I acquired last year. The head was a little loose...so I had to pull out the old wedge with the OG green paint still intact (I nearly cried)...and reset the head. But I got it done without scratching any of the original paint on the top of the handle or the head itself...so it's back in business. It's definitely a different feel than my 4.5# Kelly WF Dandenong mounted on a Hickory handle...but I like to have some variety. Thanks again for the content.
Honestly, best video I have seen in a while. And yeah, of course I was looking for the best wood for the axe handle, but this is like ASMR, and brain bubblegum at the same time lol - dude chopping away on a tree and some research facts are coming in. Bravo!
Osage orange is my favorite wood for tool handles. Not a commercial wood at all. It is heavier than hickory tho….
Can you do this again with a few more woods, like Osage Orange?
The emerald ash borer has been a major contributor to the MLB moving to Maple. Louisville slugger has been "pushing" the maple pretty hard because the ash is on a limited timeline.
I bought a 6"x6"×3' Australian buloke, thought to be the hardest wood in the world and made my own handle and it's been great! Even on a overstrike!
I hope you responde earlier, I need the answer of this question. The pine wood can work to be an axe handle? Thank you
Im jist wandering about osage orange aka hedge wood most farmers use it for fence posts due to bugs hate it abd it keeps hardening like oak. And its also used for traditional bows..
How about Locust and Osage Orange? Do they make the list of want to try woods?
Great stuff, dude! I'm currently out of the country hanging around the CENTCOM region and I keep looking forward to the new videos you are putting out. I can't wait to get back home, use my Lamaca, and put handles on some other heads I've got around. I think I may be inspired to try for a straight oak handled Knot Klipper jersery and a curvey ash True Temper yankee. Please keep up the great work. Thanks for the science and fun, axe friend!
i think you should try birch birch handles are quite common in Finland because it's the hardest wood in this country and I've never had one break on me
“This is not hickory” 😂
There's so many variables! A core of the tree vs the outer wood of the tree! Clay vs sand! I'm gonna try and make my own just because I want to see if I can do it!
I've been thinking about using walnut and cedar for some tomahawk handles. So I'm wondering if you or any of the other viewers here have any experience using either wood for tool handles? I suspect they'd be alright for smaller type axes but have no experience using either for tool handles. I just really like the looks of cedar and walnut wood but still want the handles to be durable enough for actual working tools.
Are we talking like Red Cedar, the kind used in shingles?
@@BushcraftSisyphus yes... I've got a few walking sticks I've made out of red cedar that seem pretty strong. I'm sure for occasional use as a tomahawk handle it would be alright. But I'm wondering if anyone knows how they stand up to repeated use. I pretty much just use mine for taking small limbs off of stuff I'm working on. They work pretty well for that imo. It seems like I've seen it used for small hatchets a few times. I guess the best way would be to just try it but I thought maybe someone here might have some experience using it. I know I've seen walnut used in hatchets but again I don't know how practical it is.
@@hildolfrdraugadrottin7279 Most western red cedar (cypress) is quite fragile and low density. Very very few old growth trees have any sort of strength in the wood. You might want to try Yellow Cedar as it is practically a hardwood and is far far stronger than WRC.
which axe was first awarded the axe effect endorsement on your channel?
Technically, our Work Axe Champion in the 9-AXE BATTLE ROYALE! ((all caps yo) received the first Axe Effect award. Excellent question, sir.
Here in West Oz, we use brown mallet (Eucalyptus astringens) timber as axe handles. It surpasses the modulus of elasticity of 14700 Mpa of Hickory, with 19000Mpa. First thing I noticed when I fitted a US Hickory handle to my axe was how much more “flex” there was in a Hickory handle, when freeing a axe head jammed in the wood, than the mallet handles I have grown up with. It felt like I was going to snap the hickory on occasion before the axe head would break loose compared to mallet. To be quite honest I prefer the mallet wood handles. In fareness to Hickory, I think it is more forgiving of an over strike while splitting wood, where the handle impacts the end grain of the piece your splitting, rather than the actual axe head. With mallet in that situation, it has more of a tendency to split lengthways up the middle of the axe handle than Hickory. This is the link for species details, where it grows there used to be a tool handle manufacturing facility that made only tool handles from brown mallet (AGK Mallet Products) but I think they are long since closed down these days. www.fpc.wa.gov.au/about-us/publications/species/brown-mallet I’m guessing the kiwis also probably have favoured local timber species for axe handles although, when I recently bought a hand forged axe from NZ Tuatahi manufacturers, probably the best axe made anywhere in the world, it was supplied with a US Hickory handle! I should try & hunt down a brown mallet handle & a spotted gun handle from eastern states of Oz and send them to you for testing / comparison?
Every species from down there I've ever tried is like swinging an iron rod. Efficient power transfer, I will say that 😂
My grandfather left me an American-made ax. and I'm keeping it as a very valuable keepsake. ash wood is an optimal choice for the ax handle. I think so
Is Apple wood okay?
Very very interesting it is true what you saw about the wood I have seen a loot of junkie hickory handles not good grain and yes where did grow did it loot of water did it grow fast etc etc 😁😎👍👍👍
I love how hickory absorbs the shocks. One of the reasons I love axes. It's work but it's fun work 🤷♂️
And to add further confusion Spanish axes come with Beech handles. I can only imagine that Beech being similar and loosely related to Oak must have similar properties.
Great video man! I really appreciate the time you have taken to go through this experimentation process! Watched it through and I am ready to make a hatchet handle that I broke a couple nights ago! Ash is all I got! Thank you for this awesome video/information!
What about American hop hornbeam (ironwood) or blue beach (muscle wood)
How much would you say the wood type really matter for a carving hatchet? Anyone got an opinion on this?
Old Man Willow!
What about osage orange?
I'm in western Australia and the best I've found is the mighty Kari. What about fruit trees?
Of course, Hickory is very good ,I would like to say - extra good , but I have a question - how about mountain elm? I know it's not so hard as a hickory, but it is very tenacious and elastic. I ask for it because I am from Latvia just like Mārcis Liepiņš ,-Lamaca's blacksmith, he live 45 km from me. It is difficult to find good axe handle here . I know,- good quality handles are not cheep , and I can to order them from US, but then it will be not expensive,- it will be very expensive,-it is sad for me and many axe user's too. I would like to hear Your opinion about it. Thank You for Your interesting video's , greetings from Latvia and sorry for my wrong English!
LATVIA! Elm has been used with success as a handle, but I think it's all species dependent. It's worth a try just getting a rough handle carved just to see if it breaks with hard swings. If it doesn't, rasp it and sand it smooth!
@@BushcraftSisyphus Thank you! I will waiting for next video.
I am very interested in trying the cruzer with the white oak handle excellent comparison
Answer hickory. I live in north minnesota. Bummer
Hey lane. Great video bro keep them coming.
He's Too Busy...
what gloves you wear?
I'm testing out a couple at the moment.
Hickory is best but....The first cutting in the new England states was surely done with ash, oak and birch handles. Hickory in Maine and New Hampshire is rare at best. I doubt they were importing hickory handles before the railroads. They clearly got the job done without hickory. Love my ash handles!
Red or white oak tree?
Hit that scarfwood down the middle itl break out easier
Not gonna lie, I've been a saberspark fan for years and it's very hard not to hear his voice when you speak lol
Hey sisphus. Great video! I prefer white Ash for my handles. If it breaks it breaks, but the better and lighter swing it gives is so Worth it if you ask me. BTW, you mentioned some great files in a video and my cheap bacho files are quite used and doesn't have much life left, so I wondered what would you recommend? I've started to live by "I can't afford cheap tools"
I like Sun Valley Ski Tools Superchrome Files. They are sold at race-werks.com
Does a lobster move like a crawdad? If so the aerodynamics are backwards.
I wonder how a rock maple axe handle would fare??
I would love to try rock maple
Oh, do birch! 😁
River birch at least dries really light and brittle. I don’t think it would do well.
Yellow Birch with tight growth rings if favoured by many Scandinavians, I have made a couple up for Finnish axes and it is nice to use, absorbs a lot of shock and lasts longer than most of the Hickory handles I have used (lots have split down the grain).
anyone using mullberry??
My buddy tried to split willow with his dad and they found it nearly impossible to split even one piece.
That's interesting! Must be why it makes great bats
@@BushcraftSisyphus That may very well be, very springy shit. II think the pieces they had were also severely twisted grained.
You've made all these videos and still havent used the scene from Fellowship of the ring... "the trees are strong my lord, their roots grow deep" Utter disappointment.
The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm.
Awesome job puttin all this together, exactly how a handle shootout should be done. Looks like you've got some beaut country in the background up there too. Here in Aus you can occasionally buy US hickory handles, and they're definitely a different grade to a HB or granfors. Much lighter feeling and more easily damaged. Those owens handles looked sweet
Osage orange
Ever swang an axe on a birch handle?
There are no longer any living white ash of any size suitable for axe handles or lumber left in Northern Michigan due to the emerald ash borer. What is left is standing dead trees that are rotting and soon will be good for nothing.
That's terrible!
Indeed it is.The bigger trees were mostly done 5-6 years ago. White ash,black ash in the swamps too.All dead. Smaller trees up to 3" diameter are trying to survive. Not much on them for the bugs to eat. There are a few standing large ash but its not very weather resistant and maybe a 50/50 chance its still good. I will be cutting some down with the hopes that it is. Otherwise firewood. They bugs came in pallets from China shipped into Detroit.
I enjoyed the video by the way.
An $8 handle at my local hardware store is for a tiny ball peen hammer
The dudley cook axe just wood knot process wood faster
Osage Orange.
I’m only just over halfway through watching, but Wow, great video! I mean baseball, cricket AND gigapascals? Nicely done, sir!
About 50 different willows, it's more like a reed than a tree. It will snap at the head, good for hitting leather cricket balls and burglars! Crap for axe handles but still better than nothing!
Hickory is the toughest tool handle wood that’s been tested and proved time and time again hickory is king for a reason not because Americans said so
i’ve boiled a lot of it down to using heartwood handles to cut sapwood and sapwood handles to cut heartwood
Q: What is the best wood for axe handles? A: Yes