Pig sticker handles

[Sheffield Tony]

Suppose I had a slightly beat up mortice chisel of this sort. If I were to replace the handle, what is the best choice of wood ? For chisels with hooped handles ash would be normal, but it splits a bit easy for a handle without hoops. I think I've seen beech used?

I have ash, beech, hornbeam, elm ...?

 

[Racers]

I made an tapered octagonal handle from ash for a big gouge, and have beat it silly with a big mallet making green wood bowls and its held up remarkably well, so ash would be my first choice.

Pete

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Beech seemed to be the wood of choice when OBM chisels were made and sold extensively, but I've a chisel with a handle in ash and that has held up to my occasional bashings on it. I think our continental cousins use hornbeam quite a lot for tool handles (and plane bodies!), so that's OK too!

The sheer size of an OBM chisel tang and bolster mean that the shock loads imposed in use are carried over a large area compared to those of a skinny firmer chisel, so I suspect that almost any wood that's not too brittle would do. Some mortice chisels had a piece of leather inserted between the bolster seat and the handle end, presumably to take up any imperfections in both and spread the load; that might be a nice addition!

 

[ED65]

If you wanted to go with ash I think as close to zero grain runout would be something to go for since (I think) all of the ash chisels I've bought whose handles had split did so because the grain was at an angle to the axis of the tool.

But since you have hornbeam I think the decision's made!

 

[AndyT]

I've just done a quick survey of the nearest mortice chisels to me.
I found 7 ash and 2 beech. Two of the ash ones have small chips off the top. The others are fine. One of the beech ones has split along the length but is still clinging on tight.
I'm sure you'd be fine with any of your stash of useful bits, and can't help thinking that either straight grain from a cleft billet or wild and gnarly grain would be good. Just not a piece with grain running out across the corner.

Will you turn yours or use just a drawknife and spokeshave?

 

[AndyT]

Just to add: Ray Iles uses beech.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Yes, Ray Iles was who I had in mine when I said I thought I'd seen beech.

I'll probably go for hornbeam if I have a suitable offcut handy, or beech. I think I'll not turn it. I have made 2 sets of screwdrivers (for SS as it happens) with oval handles turned off-centre on the pole lathe, but it takes concentration. Also harder work with seasoned, tough wood !

 

[D_W]

Ash or beech. They both seem to last well, and if you manage to damage one over the course of years, you could make another one.

never much liked the more "musical" harder woods that have a higher pitched "clink" when you hit them with something hard.

Live oak here in the states would also be a good option.

i've got a set of old I. Sorby pigstickers that have fared well with ash, and probably won't be threatened by me (due to urethane mallet use).

 

[rxh]

Fruit woods also make good chisel handles. This one is cherry: