Saw handle repair- any sources for Apple?

I am rehabilitating a couple old vintage hand saws and am looking for a source for Apple to replace broken horns etc. Since it is for repairs, rather than building new totes from scratch, I could get away with fairly small pieces that would probably make shipping by mail practical.

Does anybody know a source I could try?

Failing that, what other species of more commonly available wood have others had luck matching with the turn-of-the-century Apple commonly used in old saws? I've used a variety of different domestic hardwoods but always seem to struggle with matching the tight grain pattern and texture of the original Apple.

I would also welcome any suggestions for particular colors of stains/dyes that have been useful and matching to vintage Apple totes. I suck at matching colors/shades and those I've tried always look good in the can but never quite get there on the maple and beech I've typically used for repairs. I recognize there's variation in color from handle to handle but appreciate any suggestions!

Thanks a lot!

Mike

There was a recent thread by creeker James White about him milling some apple wood and not knowing what to charge for it. You should give him a try.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...t=#post1888105

I was interested in the same. I have heard others cannibalize old saws and use pieces of handles to repair other saw handles. That way you have a better chance of matching the color. Also I believe Bad Axe Tool Works sells blocks of apple for the purpose of repairing old handles for about $5. I can't tell how large the pieces are. It looks like a 1.5 * 5 inch block from the picture.

I grew up in a subdivision that was built on an old apple orchard; apple trees in neat little lines in all the yards. Over the course of my childhood my dad cut most of them down. If I'd known how popular the wood was for handles I would have stashed some aside..

Mike

I was going to suggest maple or beech but looks like you already tried those. I have previously tried aniline dyes and have had great success with them. I think the trick is to test on a piece of scrap which comes from the same plank that will be used for the actual handle. Plus go through the complete finish cycle (including top coat) before you decide the quality of the color match. To get a perfect match is not going to be easy, that's why a lot of furniture restorers stay in business.

I like to use old broken handles. If you want a good match this is the best way to go.

You could try Cherry or Hackberry; similar grain, texture and color...

+1 on the Cherry.

I had to replace the lower horn and Lamb's tongue on an immense rip saw.
Cherry is tolerant of dye, if you chose to go that route. I didn't try to disguise the repair.

Check out the D8 I restored. I had a pair of broken handles, just matched them up to complete the D8's thumbhole handle. Other handle was from an old backsaw. Total costs for the two saws......$3.21, plus having to buy a third saw for sawnuts @$2.

Take a piece of smoothly planed maple. Try different stains in different places. Finish over each sample the same as you'll use on the handle. LABLE each experiment as to color,and any modifications you did to it,like thinning it out,and finish applied over the stain. This is what you need to do to methodically get a good color match. I do high class restoration on valuable antiques,and have had to learn how to age ivory and other materials. It can be the hardest part of a job.

Like: Which of these 18th.C. brass,iron,ivory and boxwood spinning wheel flyers is the original,and which did I make? The boxwood axle was the hardest to age,but I had spent much time learning to age new ivory. The brass arms were the easiest. I made the rear one.

If you really want to use Apple you could try Groff and Groff Lumber and Hearne Hardwood. Their contact info is online.

I got a small slab of apple of the large auction site that I use for my handle repairs. I've used dye to blend as well as red oak pigment stain (Bad Axe site recommends that IIRC)

I think the reason it is hard to find apple wood has to do with the fact that all the commercial ventures and places that sell trees use grafted trees. It is hard to even find an apple tree growing on its own root stock these days. The reason is dwarf and semi dwarf trees are easier to manage, produce fruit much sooner and increase yields per acre. Therefore there are almost no full size apple trees grown these days.