Thread: Best Timber for small pick axe handle

Here in Oz, commercial axe/pick/hoe/hammer handles are commonly made out of Spotted Gum (see here). I wouldn't use Silky Oak. IMHO, turpentine would be the better choice.

I believe Hickory or Ash are the best options for axe handles. Straight grain, you don't want to split grain along the length.

Given the choice between Silky Oak and Turpentine, I would go with the Turpentine.

Don't use NSO, you could end up badly injured . I personally don't like Spotty either, I only use genuine Tennessee Hickory for striking handles.
Rgds,
Crocy.

Richard

The question of suitable timber for impact handles has always been controversial on these Forums. Hickory is generally regarded as the preferred timber for striking tools such as axes, but in Australia the commercial manufacturers of tool handles have traditionally used Spotted Gum with Hickory only being available from America as an imported timber. Ironically the specification for Spotted Gum is actually superior to Hickory, but that just goes to show you can't rely completely on statistics. (How does it go? Lies, damned lies and statistics )

Certainly, Silky Oak is a no no, unless your neighbour only wanted to put it on the wall for show, but sooner or later somebody would use it in anger.......and probably regret it! Best not to go there.

Turpentine is a much stronger wood, but whether it is even halfway suitable for an axe handle I couldn't say. Turpentine is both hard and strong, but the modulus or rupture and modulus of elasticity are well down on the likes of Spotted Gum just for comparison. What that means is the Turpentine is likely to break more easily than SG (M. of Rupture) and be much more jarring in use (M. of Elasticity). I believe that some of the objections to even Spotted Gum, such as Crocky has alluded to, relate to how tiring it may be with protracted use. Of course in saying that we may be looking at many hours of continued use. I think there is a Forum member who does a large amount of blacksmithing and he won't use SG. There are, I believe, other timbers around that could be better than Spotted Gum, but they are not commercially available. For the amount of hammering, axe work and block splitting I do, Spotted Gum is just fine.

Regards
Paul

Axe Handle Wood (Aphananthe philippinensis)
* iNaturalist Australia ?

I’ll throw in a rather obscure choice of Coastal Tea Tree (Leptospermum laevigatum). I’ve used it for a few striking tool handles (mesh, peening and tack hammers) they’re still going after about twenty years. I used it because of its intertwined grain and it’s spring. SG is better for outside tools though.