Thread: Wood for hatchet handle

For the last 8 days I have been jointing and thicknessing 750kgs of Spotty. About 136 kgs of dust and 50 kgs of offcuts came out of that, so the yield was 75% which is a lower than normal, and this is mainly attributable to the curve in the majority of the boards - because of the inherent spring in Spotty - thus why it's prized for heavy duty handles.

This particular tree was full of fiddleback and and other really tasty figure (including parts that look for all the world like burl) and the boards were almost all ¼ sawn, so tomorrow I'll sand up a few pieces and oil them to show just how good the humble (and vastly underrated) Spotty can be.

Whenever I want to make a clamp or other small part that needs to be strong then Spotty is my "go to" timber.

In the mean time, here's a another piece that I purchased a few years ago (not bookmatched):

As a side note I've had good results with both fraxinus (ash) and Common privet for small axe and hatchet handles. I understand Ash was the preferred handle wood prior to hickory taking the crown.

Originally Posted by Ian Wells

As a side note I've had good results with both fraxinus (ash) and Common privet for small axe and hatchet handles. I understand Ash was the preferred handle wood prior to hickory taking the crown.

Ian - not all Ashes are created equal. When I lived in Vic., I got my hands on a fair bit of Desert Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) & its cultivar, Claret Ash. As you’re no doubt well aware, they are very widely planted as street & backyard trees throughout southern Aust. It’s ok, turns & works nicely, but compared to the bits of White Ash (F. americana) I brought home from Canada, it is a lot more brittle, particularly when sourced from trees that have struggled & grown slowly. So I’d be a bit cautious using Desert Ash for handles subjected to shock, but if you can get hold of White ash, or the common European Ash (F. excelsior), they would be up there with the best, for sure.

Cheers,