Raw wood to handle

Got it, allready debarked it and got the splint out of the way, to have a block to cut me some handles out. Finally rehanging the skeggox and adding some gold in the form of a roll pin. Will take pictures once it's dried (it's cats and dogs for weeks now).
Perhaps you want to dry that thinned billet out at a low temperature (below 100C) in the oven. Otherwise the rule of thumb for air drying is 1 year per inch of thickness.
 
I know, but i'll make staves first, then a rough handle, then the oven. Quickest way of doing it. I actually got a nice piece which was llining outside for years, so its drie for the most part except the surface. Shouldn't take long!
One thing I've learned from experience is never to be hurried or impatient about drying wood. Too quick and it checks or splits, and/or the hang comes loose in very short order.
 
Beautiful axe,congratulations.
Amazing to think how many more generations of use,in all probability,we see right there.
A vehicle,some electronic gadget,even many of the houses that people inhabit,don't come close to the usefulness and longevity of a well-found axe...
 
Beautiful axe,congratulations.
Amazing to think how many more generations of use,in all probability,we see right there.
A vehicle,some electronic gadget,even many of the houses that people inhabit,don't come close to the usefulness and longevity of a well-found axe...

Thank you, sir. I do think this one will stick with me. That little 12.3 was from @olli69. He had some of those handed down to him and I kind of think they deserve to be handled respectfully. Haven't seen him on here lately but I think he would enjoy seeing them now.

The story continues for the 3 Little Kemis (I'm writing an axe-based children's novel)
 
Thank you, sir. I do think this one will stick with me. That little 12.3 was from @olli69. He had some of those handed down to him and I kind of think they deserve to be handled respectfully. Haven't seen him on here lately but I think he would enjoy seeing them now.

The story continues for the 3 Little Kemis (I'm writing an axe-based children's novel)


Awesome work, it's just perfect.
 
Thank you Square_peg!

We took a walk down the butte to a clearing to watch it go dark. I couldn't reach the lowest branches for a fresh leaf. Probably needed a fairly long stick with a hook on the end of it to pull a branch down some...

Woodsmen - The leaves have deep rounded lobes like Oak. They look like the center top leaf in this picture.
oakleaves.jpg


Nuts by Agent Hierarchy, on Flickr

Does that look like what a "White Oak" produces?
 
Unless you start taking them apart it's hard to distinguish Red from White Acorns but the Whites are quite edible whereas the Reds will leave a real bitter taste in your mouth. You're best off looking up into the tree from where they fell before deciding to sample any. Old farms in eastern Ontario invariably have magnificent old Whites growing in the middle of large open fields. I suspect this was done to try to keep the GD squirrels out of them!
 
Uhm, just to chime in: There are waaaaaaay to many species of red and white oak down . And not all are equal in leaf shape or acorn shape. But some red and white have the same shape. Most leaves of every oak start out as the upper middle one, but tend to transform with age. So look for old trees, better to tell the difference. I need pics of the leaves and fruits still hanging on the specific tree to make an educated guess....
Sharp lobed leaves are in the Red class and round lobed are all in the White. Even when it comes to the grouping of 'live oaks' that don't lose their leaves.
 
Sure is a bunch of Oregon White Oak in Oregon. Not sure what other kinds of oak are growing there and I have not spent much time at those elevations in that state.
57425
Squirrels beat me to those acorns every time so I am not able to comment personally on the taste. They're supposed to be OK and pioneers went out of their way to gather them up. You wind up puckering up and spitting a lot if you foolishly decide to gnaw on a Red Oak acorn.
 
*I just saw Quercus garryana or "Garry Oak" listed as Oregon White Oak ;)

So, the leaves on say, an approximately now 25-35' tree, could potentially change shape enough over it's life to keep an identification out of reach?

Do you think the leaves from a tree old enough to produce fruit are of adequate maturity to make some sort of determination? Doesn't "Flora" in general look like pretty much how it's going it look like when it produces fruit? That is a question and not an assumption.

If there is a large subset of trees that have leaves that mimic each other that closely until they are mature then it sounds like educated guesswork for all but the most experienced "Tree Sorter" lol.

You guys know the sole reason I am interested is the possibility of tool handle materials. I'll try to get some leaves.
 
*I just saw Quercus garryana or "Garry Oak" listed as Oregon White Oak ;)

So, the leaves on say, an approximately now 25-35' tree, could potentially change shape enough over it's life to keep an identification out of reach?

Do you think the leaves from a tree old enough to produce fruit are of adequate maturity to make some sort of determination? Doesn't "Flora" in general look like pretty much how it's going it look like when it produces fruit? That is a question and not an assumption.

If there is a large subset of trees that have leaves that mimic each other that closely until they are mature then it sounds like educated guesswork for all but the most experienced "Tree Sorter" lol.

You guys know the sole reason I am interested is the possibility of tool handle materials. I'll try to get some leaves.
There are no sharp lobed Whites! Even if you not are sure, the prepared wood will be easy enough to differentiate. Reds have open pores, shorter rays and a reddish or pink tint and Whites are mostly closed pore, longer rays and coloured towards the green. An excellent primer on how to determine this: http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/distinguishing-red-oak-from-white-oak/
 
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