Exotic hardwood handles?

A

aburton

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Sep 26, 2007
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I'm finally getting around to designing my "dream axe", and I can't seem to figure out what I want to make the handle out of. Everyone uses hickory. Boring. I'd like it to last as long as possible without being replaced, so my first idea was to use black locust, but that's not as strong as hickory. Then I thought I'd use ipe, but if I'm going to go for pure strength, I might as well go with lignum vitae, which is what I'm thinking about using right now. The problem is that I'm concerned that LV is going to transmit too much of the impact to my hand. This is going to be a 28 inch handle for a 4-4.5 lb axe. Another potential is Manbarklak, but I can't find anywhere that sells it.

Any help?
 
There's always a good curly maple! I'd say desert ironwood, but you'll never find a piece long enough. Cocobolo might be nice as well. I'm not sure if you could find a piece big enough, but african blackwood would be nice as well.

-d
 
Might want to look at osageorange aka bodark . Its not exotic but its tough as nails !
 
One thing to consider is the weight that lignum vitae and cocobola would add to your ax. Both woods will sink in water. I am very cautious with cocobola. I believe it is in the same family as poison ivy or poision oak, I have a slight reaction to it if I handle it too much (my skin starts peeling very thin layers, nothing serious, but a reaction). The dust from the cocobola is also nasty.

Heatride had a good idea, the osage orange. A long time carpenter friend of mine rehandled a hammer of his with it. It came out really nice.

Another aspect to consider is how brittle the wood is and the overall grain structure (free from knots etc.). How do the different woods transfer the impace/shock to your hand? I personally prefer wood handles on my hammers because I like the way it transmits the impact to my hand. The different woods will give slightly different feels.

Have fun.

Ric
 
Bodark ?? Is that how they spell it it Louisiana ? How about Bois d'arc [bow wood]. I see some also call it Bodock .
 
mete said:
Bodark ?? Is that how they spell it it Louisiana ? How about Bois d'arc [bow wood]. I see some also call it Bodock .
Click to expand...

I don't post here to much as you can see. But think I have enough common sense
to read between the lines . Maybe you have achieved your goal , because I am greatly offended by the Louisiana remark.

Osage Orange or "Bodark" (Maclura pomifera)
 
My comment was that with the French influence in Louisiana I would have thought the proper French spelling would be used ! Nothing else implied !
 
Using curly grain on an impact tool isn't a good idea. It doesn't have the same kind of strength.

Also, Desert Ironwood (as gorgeous as it is) offers the same advantages as lignum vitae with the same drawbacks--I'm concerned about the impact being transmitted to my hand.-- And it's not as tough.

Cocobola is a type of rosewood. Lots of trees have sap that cause contact dermatitis.

Osage orange is good for bows because of its long and stringy fibers. Unfortunately, I've seen what can happen with osage orange handles on impact tools. They can split right down the center into thousands of footlong toothpicks. The stuff is hard, dense, and resistant to decay, but it's still not as good as shellbark or pignut hickory.

I'm looking for something > hickory, not just a replacement.

Also, I don't really mind the weight. I know LV is denser than water, but consider how dense hickory is. LV is only ~1.5 times heavier, but is several times tougher. I don't mind the difference between a 7 and a 8.5 lb axe+handle- plus it brings the center of mass down closer to the hand - easier to aim.

There are lots of French words that make it to the US and get Anglicized. Prime example: Detroit. Should be pronounced deh-TWAH, but it isn't. (another example would be "Rue de la Roi" which became "ruddy road") This happens because a relative few speaks French in the US. There's honestly no reason for this to become an argument, let's just move on.

Does anyone have experience with a wooden handle that transmits too much impact force to the user? I'm dying to know.
 
Cocobolo is great for impact.

Purpleheart is really nice as well. Heavy, hard as hell, and tough. If you don't like the color, controlled and cautious application of heat and / or oil can make a really nice series of hues, although in all it does tend to be rather plain looking.

You may want to consider shallow inlays of contrasting wood... Just a thought.
 
How about some reclaimed American Elm ? It's very tough without being extraordinarily heavy.Or maybe Iroko.
 
So pretty much, I don't think there's anything in N. America that can compete with hickory unless someone can give me positive feedback on desert ironwood not transmitting too much impact to the user.

That said, does anyone else know of a wood with higher durability, impact/shock toughness and bending strength than hickory that won't vibrate my arm off when I try to use it??
 
Hello Aburton,

I'm no expert on the strengths of wood, but I have used the supposedly, "Strongest Wood In The World", for a few 2 headed spear projects, for a Kung Fu Master. He asked for, and even send me the wood shafts to use for his project. The wood is also used for fighting stafts, by the Kung Fu Masters. It is called White Wax Wood. I belive it's from China. Cold Steel use to carry the wood as walking stafts, and replacements for their spear heads, but I don't see it being offered in their latest catalog.

Best Regards,
Jay Maines
Sunrise River Custom Knives
 
White wax wood would be a good choice, but I can't get any technical data on it, nor can I find a place that sells lumber of it. It's actually made of a shrub, which has been introduced to the US and is invasive, so I wouldn't feel bad about using it, but from what I've gathered, spears are usually made of www *saplings* because they offer a lot in terms of flexibility. I'm not sure what the other properties of it are.

Thanks anyway!

Any other ideas?
 
According to a friend of mine who went over to China to study bagua for a while,
one of the main attractive properties of wax wood is that it grows all over the
place and has mostly straight shoots. Need a staff, just walk over and cut one off.
 
try african bubinga for a handle it is used as a bow material there.. it is tough and medium hard ,has pattern in it not usually gourgeous wood but very nice !!
 
I would try a stacked handle of various leather, wood, colored spacers. Maybe some brass spacers or stainless. Just a thought.
 
For strength, it is hard to beat Screwbean Mesquite.

A story about cocobola. A friend was sanding a gunstock made out of it one day. It was a hundred degree day and quite humid. He was sanding it in his LAP! He discovered why it was called South American Poison Ivy tree. He was in pain for two weeks. It didn't help that all of his friends to whom he told the story uncontrollably laughed.
 
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