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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2009 18:06:44 GMT
I was looking into making a handle, pinned, not wood core, and I was wondering what wood people would suggest. The blade of the project is 17 inches long, while the handle is 5, so I was also looking to counterbalance a little bit.
These are the woods I've been thinking about: Lignum Vitae Jatoba Hickory Ebony
Any other suggestions would be great, and any input as to reasons why you don't like these woods would also be appreciated.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2009 18:24:24 GMT
People recommend poplar a lot, and I've found that it's really easy to work with and a pretty nice wood, though it isn't very heavy for counterbalancing.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2009 23:15:25 GMT
Go to a hardware, whatever's heaviest and makes the dullest thud when rapped against something. Although it will be a tart to work with.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2009 23:41:12 GMT
Lignum Vitae - too hard to work same issues as jatoba Jatoba - tendency to twist and move and is also extremely hard and also has a tendency to burn out drill bits Hickory - not very pretty Ebony - no experience with this one. Also you realise there are many species of ebony right? what purpose are you going to use the blade for? Are you making a sandwiched tang? Coco-bolo is a great wood although you need a respirator to work it (this goes without saying for any wood) bocote desert ironwood zebra wood (now this stuff is really really hard and when working it it smells like a zebras rear end but it is such a beautiful wood when it is finished) Too bad you don't have access to any Jarrah or red gum, great to work and beautiful to boot. You could also try purpleheart which is easy to work and extremely pretty. You could also try something more exotic like camel bone or mammoth tusk or something; www.alphaknifesupply.com/
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2009 2:12:28 GMT
I personally like rosewood. Wenge is pretty good if you need a dense wood...however a respirator is a must with this wood as breathing in burnt fumes or dust may cause...umm death. One of the guys working on my handle at darkwood was actually hospitalized from fumes. Also bone is AWESOME. Especially if you dye it in blood. Kinda morbid I know...and you do have to be careful with the blood as to prevent a bio hazzard. Or you can just use some red, brown and black fabric dye to replicate blood . Bone actually accepts fabric dye pretty well.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2009 3:38:19 GMT
Gabon Ebony (the blackest) has a tendency to crack. If you get a small, solid piece, you may have good luck. Other ebony's are more stable.
Wenge is good and heavy, it's a semprini to work though -likes to splinter and tear along the grain, and the splinters are evil.
Cocobolo has a little weight to it and isn't too bad to work, but wear a mask and glasses. There are two kinds of people who work cocobolo -those who are allergic to it, and those who are going to develop an allergy to it. The chips smell great, but the dust is like mace. Limit your exposure.
Bloodwood is real pretty and not hard to work. Not too heavy but good and solid.
Padauk is another nice red streaky hardwood, a lot like Bloodwood. A big difference is that bloodwood is lightfast, where padauk darkens over time. That's another thing to consider. A lot of woods darken over time, and they all darken when oiled.
Bubinga is another nice one, it can be pretty ho-hum, but when you get a good piece, it's beautiful.
Look at Olivewood too. Creamy yellowish with sharp brown streaks through it.
If you have a wood-crafter's store near you, go in and ask to see the turning blanks. They will have pieces of appropriate size for making a handle, and probably lot's of varieties, for relatively cheap. The guys that work there should be able to tell you about the properties of any given type of wood without much trouble.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2009 7:08:22 GMT
If you want a good wood shop for a high density hickory. I would get a spoke shave to do the kind of work because high end hickory will eat up black plain and wood rasp blades, but aside from that a spoke shave can give you smoother clean passes on a high hardness wood. A good noth american hickory is what basball bats were made of 100 years ago. You can tell me a tsuka will take that kind of abuse so I consider it a perfect wood. It is a tsuka, so you dont have to worry about looks, but if you hand select a good even tight grain piece with good color. If you use wood like this you intent must be to push the balance of the blade back bacause the wood WILL make a difference.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2009 7:12:47 GMT
Also ebony depending in the species is so tight grain I have seen it explode when used as bokken wood. You also have to remember highory not a hard to find and by term not as expensive. You might also try hard "rock" maple as it is called in some shops. I dont put it quite in a high density hickory level, but it is higher than poplar and looks a bit more "pretty" than some hickory.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2009 16:55:12 GMT
I dont know much about wood or if maple is a tough wood but if you are not going to wrap it in leather of anything else the maples look great.I have two swords with maple handles one is curly maple along with the scabbard and was only waxed their is no stain on it. and the other is the Achilles sword I ordered from scorpion.The Achilles uses tiger maple for a handle Attached with 5 hidden pins and epoxy.I think it looks great but i believe it has a stain on it but you can still see the tiger stripes on it.The picture of the sword on the website is mine. Again I dont know wood like which one is harder or easier to work with but IMO you cant beat a good figured piece of curly maple. Ok because this is the sword forum well call this an axe but here is a curly maple top on my axe. sorry I couldnt resist.
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