Heartwood vs sapwood??
- Thread starter mitch8
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http://www.lutherie.net/frankford.runout.html
It's not just axe handles, it is just a fact in the nature of wood, the way it grows and is cut.
It's not just axe handles, it is just a fact in the nature of wood, the way it grows and is cut.
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Either a straight cut on a curved grain or a curved cut on a straight grain. Wood grain is like laminate, for strength it requires continuity. If the continuity is interupted (run out) it can "pop" or de laminate. Most of the cracking type breaks I have seen on old curved handles are in some place where there was grain run out and a lot of stress from impacts. I have seen straight grained curve handles break the same way, and break along the length of the handle, probably due to crap wood and not being stored very attentively.
I think I addressed it here (a little);
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ke-axe-handles?highlight=how+make+axe+handles
Has anybody mentioned that sapwood is NEVER used in any tool handle construction, let alone axe handles?
Sap only travels close to the bark, the very outside edge, most wood in a tree can be called "heartwood" under whatever regulation that barely exists that nobody enforcing it wishes to not quote.
In the context of axe handles we are talking about "white Hickory" versus "red Hickory". Both are heartwoods, both have the same mechanical properties, and I have never ever EVAH witnessed a failure along the white/red line on a handle that had a mix of both.
No doubt you will have alleged pseudo interwebs experts tell you to return all bastard red/white axe handles, ofcourse they barely ever swing an axe nevermind have seen a handle failure, and most certainly have never seen nor be able to produce any photos. But they will still spin anecdotes about somebodies Uncle Jethro and the evil red axe handle.
Your handle is fine if it is multicultural. Even better use it as a haggling point an get the price down.
Sap only travels close to the bark, the very outside edge, most wood in a tree can be called "heartwood" under whatever regulation that barely exists that nobody enforcing it wishes to not quote.
In the context of axe handles we are talking about "white Hickory" versus "red Hickory". Both are heartwoods, both have the same mechanical properties, and I have never ever EVAH witnessed a failure along the white/red line on a handle that had a mix of both.
No doubt you will have alleged pseudo interwebs experts tell you to return all bastard red/white axe handles, ofcourse they barely ever swing an axe nevermind have seen a handle failure, and most certainly have never seen nor be able to produce any photos. But they will still spin anecdotes about somebodies Uncle Jethro and the evil red axe handle.
Your handle is fine if it is multicultural. Even better use it as a haggling point an get the price down.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood#Heartwood_and_sapwood
I'm not saying anything in terms of which is better. But the "heartwood" is the darker center and the "sapwood" is the lighter outer part. As I said above, I suspect sapwood would (heh) be preferred for its better grain alignment.
Do you have a source that states otherwise?
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Sorry, something is lost in translation here. I have no idea what you are getting at.
I think he is referring to the cambium layer or something. Not sure, never book learned on trees.
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Heartwood and sapwood are two distinct parts of a tree's trunk, each with unique characteristics.
Heartwood is the older, non-living, innermost part of the tree, and it's typically darker in color. It's renowned for its durability and resistance to decay and insects, making it ideal for various applications, especially in outdoor or structural use.
On the other hand, sapwood is the younger, outer layer of wood that transports sap between the leaves and the roots. It is usually lighter in color and tends to be more susceptible to decay and pests. While it's less durable than heartwood, it is often used in woodworking for its workability and lighter appearance.
In woodworking, the choice between heartwood and sapwood often depends on the specific requirements of a project, with heartwood favored for durability and sapwood for its aesthetic qualities and ease of working.
Heartwood is the older, non-living, innermost part of the tree, and it's typically darker in color. It's renowned for its durability and resistance to decay and insects, making it ideal for various applications, especially in outdoor or structural use.
On the other hand, sapwood is the younger, outer layer of wood that transports sap between the leaves and the roots. It is usually lighter in color and tends to be more susceptible to decay and pests. While it's less durable than heartwood, it is often used in woodworking for its workability and lighter appearance.
In woodworking, the choice between heartwood and sapwood often depends on the specific requirements of a project, with heartwood favored for durability and sapwood for its aesthetic qualities and ease of working.
I have not noticed a difference in use but in working the wood for a handle, I find heartwood to "chip out" moreso than whitewood/sapwood. Using a toothed rasp can make a mess. Finer/sharper cutting or more abrasive paper sooner will help prevent this.
Bill
Bill
I have heard the heart wood described as being "brash". I think it fits pretty well, at least with hickory.
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Hello. The misconceptions regarding hickory are so varied that it's practically impossible to address them all in a short message. But here are some basic facts concerning the the wood and its color variations (inner layers "red or heartwood" and outer layers "white" or "sapwood": The US Forest Products Laboratory tests of heartwood and sapwood strength show that they're equal and this is true overall. However, the variation within the hickories (high quality tool handle grade) is pronounced and there are both low grade and high grade examples in both the sapwood (white wood) and heartwood (red wood). It's possible to find wood of extraordinary quality in both. Regardless of color, the highest quality wood, contrary to popular beliefs, usually has wide growth rings. This is because a ring porous or semi ring porous wood, like hickory, has a greater percentage of density in the growth that happens later in the summer (latewood). In a slow growing hickory, there is a greater percentage of more open grained earlywood. A faster growing hickory under good nutrient uptake and sunlight will have wide growth rings and display heavier and harder wood. Note, the same could not be said of a diffuse porous wood. In some species, slow growth is indeed preferable, but that's a different story. Read R. Bruce Hoadley "Understanding Wood" if you're interested in this. But back to sapwood (white) vs heartwood (red): testing the best white and red wood shows comparable impact strength but we've found that it's more likely to find superior mechanical properties in the white wood. I think if my life depended on it, I'd choose a super high quality piece of white wood over a red one, however, SOME PIECES OF REDWOOD will turn out to be equivalent. Additionally, it's very common to find pieces cut from the margin of the white and red to be extraordinary in mechanical strength. But here is another consideration: the red wood is more prone to checking (cracking) due to humidity swings (and brashness, as a commentator mentioned). When we select wood from our inventory and make it in to wooden weapons, the red wood will check much more often than the white wood. I think in general, the lowest grade red wood is worse than the lowest grade white wood. But, as I mentioned, ONE IS NOT UNIVERSALLY SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER. The tool handle makers often use mixed wood (the wood coming from the margin, if graded carefully, is often extremely nice and has the distinctive calico look). The drumstick makers use all white wood but that's not to say that a white drumstick will always be superior to a mixed color or red tool handle. One final note: true hickories of the same species growing in northern climates will produce inferior wood to those growing in the Southeast. Hickories here in Vermont are not suitable for severe use. Kiln dried hickory (from concentration yards (often in the Midwest) will yield inferior wood. In general, anything coming from a lumberyard will be inferior. The best material is air-dried and comes from specialty mills the Southeast Appalachian Mountains. The image in the "about us" link below shows the inventory of hickory in one of our warehouses at Kingfisher WoodWorks. Hickory is all we use for wooden weapons. We've made probably 50,000 wooden weapons out of hickory over the past 25 years. Before that, we used various exotics and composite materials but for sheer mechanical integrity, high quality hickory is unparalled, whether it's white, red, or a mix of the two. The grading of an individual piece is infinitely more important than the color. https://kingfisherwoodworks.com/pages/about-us