View Poll Results: Which wood for a pigsticker?

Voters
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  • Black Locust

    6 27.27%
  • Hickory

    7 31.82%
  • Hornbeam

    8 36.36%
  • Ironbark

    0 0%
  • Jatoba

    1 4.55%
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Thread: Pigsticker handle options

  1. #1
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    Pigsticker handle options

    I'm building my wife a craft table from soft maple, and finally am getting to working on the joinery (mostly M&T joints).

    While cracking my mortise chisel with Thor's Thunder Mallet, the beech has split from end to end on a slight diagonal. No big deal, as I can make my own handles.

    Just taking a poll here, but I'm curious what types of wood y'all would use for this task. Vote away!
    Last edited by Adam Cruea; 09-16-2014 at 11:05 AM.
    The Barefoot Woodworker.

    Fueled by leather, chrome, and thunder.

  2. #2
    Beech or apple or any kind of dense fruitwood with a little bit of give.

  3. #3
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    So is it possible the beech for the handle now was just. . .not real great?
    The Barefoot Woodworker.

    Fueled by leather, chrome, and thunder.

  4. #4
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    I have used ash and maple. Not sure what is on the other one I replaced. These were just scraps from around the shop.

    BTW, the maple doesn't appear to be a good choice.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Cruea View Post
    So is it possible the beech for the handle now was just. . .not real great?
    Could be. I don't know what the orientation of the grain in the handle should be theoretically (i.e., should it go arrow straight in line with the tang). You see all kinds of old handles in various states of disrepair, so maybe nothing lasts forever. Even the metal hooped handles are often cracked at the bolster or ferrule. Maybe a slight diagonal protects the grain that's above the tang, I don't know.

    Now that you have a chart up, I'd go with hornbeam given those choices. You know how to repair the handles after you've done one and it's not so critical.

  6. #6
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    All the original English mortising chisels I have seen were beech handled.

    When fitting a new handle,I get my tang very hot and burn it in the last bit. Your tang may have been too tight,and split the wood. Hornbeam is good,just say'n.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by george wilson View Post
    All the original English mortising chisels I have seen were beech handled.

    When fitting a new handle,I get my tang very hot and burn it in the last bit. Your tang may have been too tight,and split the wood. Hornbeam is good,just say'n.
    I've read about the heating. With D2, do I have to worry about causing any brittleness issues creeping down the chisel? Or are we talking heating like "just enough to char the wood" hot?
    The Barefoot Woodworker.

    Fueled by leather, chrome, and thunder.

  8. #8
    Enough to char the wood hot and burn enough to get a good fit. You can take a pair of channellocks or something and hold the chisel in water up to about the bolster if you're concerned about heating (I guess I would do it, those are nice chisels).

    I've seen blacksmiths say that they've never had an issue weakening a chisel by doing a burn in with the tang, though.

  9. #9
    I've used maple, mainly because I had some nice figured maple in the right size and I thought it looked really nice. To get the hole, I used calipers to measure the tang at various depths and then drilled step holes to match the width of the tang. I wanted tight so the holes were drilled such that the handle had to be driven onto the tang (not a lot, just enough to get it really tight - but not enough to split the handle).

    But, then, I don't use the pigstickers that much. I mostly drill out my mortises and then trim to size. Usually use a bench chisel to finish the mortise. I got into pigstickers quite a few years ago and finally got a full set of Ward Cast Steel pigstickers.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  10. #10
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    I go with Hornbeam, cuz its tough and I harvested some from a friend's woods years ago.

    Edit: But I've got no pig-sticking experience . Also I've never used locust, but doesn't it have a reputation for NOT splitting?
    Last edited by Judson Green; 09-16-2014 at 5:28 PM.
    I got cash in my pocket. I got desire in my heart....

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Judson Green View Post
    I go with Hornbeam, cuz its tough and I harvested some from a friend's woods years ago.

    Edit: But I've got no pig-sticking experience . Also I've never used locust, but doesn't it have a reputation for NOT splitting?
    All the woods I picked generally are shock-tolerant and shouldn't split much. I actually got the list from a site about wooden martial arts weapons.

    I also thought about Spotted Gum, but decided to just stick with plain ol' American Hickory 'cause. . .'Murica.

    Thus far, hickory and hornbeam seem to be the winners, so once the beech handle goes belly up, I will probably be bugging my sawyer for some hornbeam. With luck maybe I'll even get the handle for my Sweetheart chisels replaced that I snapped (it was hornbeam).
    The Barefoot Woodworker.

    Fueled by leather, chrome, and thunder.

  12. #12
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    Hickory, along with oak, is nice wood for riving when making ladder back chairs because it splits very nicely. Think I'd go with something else with an interlocking grain.
    Paul

  13. #13
    Domestics: Hornbeam, Black Locust, Hickory, Bois de Arc

    Imports: Jatoba (very high Janka hardness and interlocked grain)
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

  14. #14
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    Thanks all. Looks like the general consensus is Hornbeam, so I've contacted my sawyer to see if he can get some.

    If not, in a pinch, I can cut up some of the 8/4 hickory I have left over from my bench and use that (since it seems to be the second choice thus far).
    The Barefoot Woodworker.

    Fueled by leather, chrome, and thunder.

  15. #15
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    Hi Adam

    I'm coming in late.

    I would concur with Hornbeam (just on reputation), although I have used a number of different hard woods. Interlocked woods are best.

    There is an old article on my website on re-handling mortice chisels: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRes...%20Chisel.html

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

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