ThomasPowers Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 I used to have a sign shop across the alleyway from my house. The would get pallets 10' to 16' long for their supplies. I rebuilt the shed addition to my 1920's detached garage using oak for the roof joists all free from them. Sheetrock also comes in on heavy duty pallets and also comes in 10 and 12' lengths at the better dealers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 I bought a 5/4" x 4" x 6' piece of clear straight grain hickory from a lumber supplier who's specialty market was cabinet makers. I make slab hammer handles similar to Uri Hoffi's but with a bit of taper from the head widening to the end. A slab handle is easy to hold without having to grip and the slight taper causes a reflex reaction to tighten your grip if it starts to slip. I have no idea what's available in the Nederlands but if hardwood is hard to find cabinet makers are who I'd ask in the search. THEY get their wood somewhere who should sell to you too. No? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted March 29, 2021 Author Share Posted March 29, 2021 Hi Frosty, That's a great idea! I'm going to ask around a bit, several wood suppliers for construction work I called didn't carry any ash, so a more specialised woodworker might point me in the right direction for a good local supplier, in the meanwhile I have found two ice hockey sticks I can use to make top tool handles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 Construction building suppliers won't carry cabinetry lumber except in very limited quantity and selection. I picked up a bunch of broken hockey sticks at the local high school one winter, there was a garbage can full of them by the dumpster to go out with the trash. Hockey players aren't known for being easy on their equipment, ice rinks, each other, anything, they break a lot of sticks. All it takes is a crack and they're no good and they usually break at the paddle leaving quite a bit of good wood. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 I'd also check "upstream" at places that sell them in case someone had brought in their cracked or broken one to compare it to replacements... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dueldor Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Hey all so I am curious where you all in the states source your hammer handles/handle material? Prefer hickory for its shock absorbing properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Well we have hundreds of acres of Pecan farms out here! For Osage Orange I split it out of firewood logs from a tree service. For commercial handles: Used to get them from a freight salvage place in Arkansas who sold "seconds". They stopped carrying them; so next trip to Quad-State may include a visit to House Handle Company in Cassville MO. I always try to buy a bunch as they have to be seasoned for at least a year for the NM climate as kiln dried may not be dry enough! Yard sales, fleamarkets---being able to judge a good handle's grain from a bad helps a lot! Also ones with cosmetic damage in areas that will be rasped off to shape it for my hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Welcome aboard Dueldor. If you fill out the header with where in the states you are it would be a little easier to answer that question. For instance i get a good deal on 5/4 hickory board at a store that is the only one in the country and even many locals do not know of it. If you want to make your own handle think outside the box. A sledge handle can make 3 hammer handles, along with wheel barrow handles, shovels, etc most of which are made of hickory, at least where i buy them. Most are carried by any hardware store including the big box stores. Hammer handles alone i have found are a rare find in these parts. You either have to order them from industrial supply or find a mom and pop hardware that actually still has them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dueldor Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Yea I guess with a lot of tool manufacturers going to synthetic or metal handles wood handles are kinda phasing out. Thank good ness there are some who still use wood. I will have to check out some other tool handles I can modify. Sounds like a solid plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Note that pecan and hickory are sold interchangeably! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dueldor Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Thanks. Does that mean that they act the same as well? I would assume so or they would interchange them right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 I can't tell the difference in use; The Wood Database states: Pecan Common Uses: Tool handles, ladder rungs, wheel spokes, and flooring. Pecan has slightly lower strength values than some of the other species of Hickory, but it is still among the hardest and strongest of woods native to the United States. The wood is commonly used where strength or shock-resistance is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 With both pecan and hickory, you can use the scraps in your grill to flavor the meat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 I find an agreeable farmer who has bois d’arc growing on his place. I find a nice fat limb, remove it and cut it into manageable lengths to haul home. Once home I split it and coat the ends in paraffin (American sense of the word) or bees wax. I stack it in the garage for at least a year or longer. Very sturdy wood. Bright yellow when new, but a rich, golden brown after a bit of UV from the sun hits it. No better handle wood to my way of thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 When i lived in Louisiana during hurricane Gustav we had a huge, and i do mean huge, pecan tree fall on the house. It hit the family room between the main house and the mother in law apartment. We kept a few chunks but we had no problem getting rid of that tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 Osage if roughed into bow staves can sell for upwards of a hundred dollars a piece when dried. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 Finding Osage Orange with the correct grain for bow staves is what ups the cost! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 22, 2021 Author Share Posted May 22, 2021 Using earlier suggestions, I've now used two hockey stick handles to make 6 handles for top tools. Also I've gotten small maple logs that I plan to use for hammer and axe handles. I do plan to forge a claw hammer for my dad's birthday, and a handmade handle would totally complete that build. Also, our local muncipality often lets people cut down trees that they want gone to use as firewood or whatever, I don't know how that works in America, but i might be worthwhile to ask around if people know they're doing that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted May 23, 2021 Share Posted May 23, 2021 Good afternoon, I always save broken pieces of handles whenever possible, and even will pay a buck or so at yard sales. You get a lot of hickory that way. Shovels and axe handles become hammers, broken hammer handles become knife scales, and so on.... I'm not crazy about kiln dried wood, it seems more brittle. Of course that may be because a lot of wood these days isn't "old growth" and doesn't have the same density. Pecan, mentioned above can be tough as nails. Try splitting it green and you'll see what I mean. It laughs at the maul, and I've seen it break a hydraulic splitter. I always waited a minimum of one year, and for preference split it on a day when the temps are well below freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 I have a question regarding pricing for wood for handles, i have the opportunity to buy 70 cm (27.5 inches) long and 40cm (16.7 inches) in diamter Ash logs for 40 euros (48 dollars). Do you think this is worth it for good, straight grained wood for handles? this is an advert on a craigslist type site. thanks for your replies. ~Jobtiel1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 One log for US$48? Too rich for my blood; especially if you will need to split it and let the blanks dry for several years---don't forget to seal the ends so they don't split! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 I thought so too, I don't know much about pricing for wood. I'm in no hurry to buy so let's continue to look. Thanks Thomas! ~Jobtiel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Is there a local company that deals with trees: planting, removing, trimming, etc; they might have access to wood at a better price. And if possible I would suggest buying wood that was cut in winter when the sap is down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeJustice Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Have you done a search for sawmills in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 25, 2021 Author Share Posted May 25, 2021 LeeJustice, I have, and there is one nearby, however, it only sells to businesses unofrtunately. That's about it for the area, not a lot of trees around here to be milled. ~Jobtiel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.