[TheForge] I need a piece of tree...

[Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer]

Question:
How does osage orange compare to hickory for handles?
I've been fooling around with shaving the necks of certain hammer 
handles way down. Just as they get really comfy to wield, the darn 
handle breaks.
Would osage tolerate more thinning than hickory?...pf

Jonathan Barnhart wrote:
> I've seen people use mulberry and osage orange to make handles.  In fact I wish a had a bunch of Osage orange to split into hammer handles.
> 
> 
> --- On Thu, 9/18/08, dan tull <dantull at numail.org> wrote:
> 
>> From: dan tull <dantull at numail.org>
>> Subject: Re: [TheForge] I need a piece of tree...
>> To: munlaw2 at hcsmail.com, "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>> Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 8:52 AM
>> Mulberry( member of Osage Orange family) would be too hard
>> to carve.
>> Bass wood best for carving. IMHO
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Ron Childers" <munlaw2 at hcsmail.com>
>> To: "'Blacksmithing List Sponsored by
>> ABANA'" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2008 9:37 AM
>> Subject: RE: [TheForge] I need a piece of tree...
>>
>>
>> Saint Phillip,
>>
>> I forgot to mention sassafras and mulberry trees are part
>> of the mess I have
>> to clean up from the storm. Sure, I can send her a piece.
>> Does she want it
>> dead or alive?
>> Ron C
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
>> Saint Phlip
>> Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2008 9:23 AM
>> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
>> Subject: [TheForge] I need a piece of tree...
>>
>> A friend of mine is looking for a piece of sassafras to
>> give her
>> mother for Christmas. Her mother is a wood carving
>> hobbyist, and would
>> dearly love a piece of sassafras wood  to learn to carve.
>> Do any of
>> you folks have a chunk in your wood piles that might be
>> good for her?
>> This is what her daughter said:
>>
>> "A piece of a tree would be a wonderful thing.  Boards
>> would not be
>> ideal, she has done some chip carving but it's not
>> "her thing." She
>> much prefers to work in the round as it were, and with
>> pieces small
>> enough to hold in her hands.  So, anything from about
>> 1.5" diameter
>> and up would be great.  If it's too wide for her to
>> hold she just
>> splits the wood until it's a manageable size. (I
>> suppose she could
>> work with pieces as small as 1" diameter, I've not
>> asked and I don't
>> want to give away the surprise - if I find some.)  Length
>> is not so
>> much an issue.  She talks about carving walking sticks, but
>> I've never
>> seen her make one, she generally carves figures anywhere
>> from 1" to
>> about 10" tall."
>>
>> If any of you have a chunk that would work, please let me
>> know and
>> I'll get you in contact with the daughter.
>>
>> -- 
>> Saint Phlip
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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