Here we use birch. Tough, straight grains and easy to get.
Quote from: Crow on May 05, 2016, 11:25:18 AMHere we use birch. Tough, straight grains and easy to get.I believe this is the tradition in these parts, I've also heard of cutting a line along the tree since the "scarring" will make for even stronger wood. I know my father started such a project 15-20 years ago but he hasn't found an axe to replace the handle on. As such, the tree is still standing (and showing the scarring).
Quote from: Fortytwo on May 08, 2016, 05:30:38 PMQuote from: Crow on May 05, 2016, 11:25:18 AMHere we use birch. Tough, straight grains and easy to get.I believe this is the tradition in these parts, I've also heard of cutting a line along the tree since the "scarring" will make for even stronger wood. I know my father started such a project 15-20 years ago but he hasn't found an axe to replace the handle on. As such, the tree is still standing (and showing the scarring).You are right. It was usual for men to cut line to the bark of young birch. It did toughen grains, and made great handle.
Quote from: Crow on May 08, 2016, 05:44:38 PMQuote from: Fortytwo on May 08, 2016, 05:30:38 PMQuote from: Crow on May 05, 2016, 11:25:18 AMHere we use birch. Tough, straight grains and easy to get.I believe this is the tradition in these parts, I've also heard of cutting a line along the tree since the "scarring" will make for even stronger wood. I know my father started such a project 15-20 years ago but he hasn't found an axe to replace the handle on. As such, the tree is still standing (and showing the scarring).You are right. It was usual for men to cut line to the bark of young birch. It did toughen grains, and made great handle.Any pics of this process?
Here in the UK we used to use Ash (but now they are all Hickory) I have read that ‘fruit woods’ make a good handle, I also think Beech would make a good handleAlso if you are handling a smaller axe the type of wood will not be so crucial
There is one local tree I've made surprisingly good walking sticks from, Rhus pendulina (White Karee), but there's always little cracks at the nodes when dry, so I don't think it would be suitable.