Wood Chisel Handles

ErnieD · Jan 2, 2016

What species of wood should be used for wood chisel handles? I have oak (red + white)
and hickory. Can obtain cherry.

Catskill Pete · Jan 2, 2016

Oak or hickory would be fine, myself I find that ash holds up better and is easier to work.

Dick2 · Jan 2, 2016

I like to work with ash, but it is hard to find any that isn't full of holes from the ash borer.

Stephen Newell · Jan 2, 2016

Oak is too easily split and cherry is too soft. I would use hickory.

da.bees · Jan 2, 2016

I like Osage Orange and Hornbeam.

TimV · Jan 2, 2016

Hickory is the traditional choice for striking tool handles, and will work the best of the ones you've mentioned. As noted in other posts, hop hornbeam (ironwood) and osage orange are also good choices if you can find them. If you plan on making handles for striking chisels as opposed to paring chisels, a striking ring around the end will help to keep them in better shape longer. In a pinch, I've used an appropriately-sized chunk of water pipe--it's not the most elegant, but it's far better than nothing.

Andy Martin · Jan 2, 2016

I usually use hickory off the farm, but have a couple of chisels I made out of red oak, and they have taken a lot of hammering with a steel hammer without splitting (mortising door jambs in rent houses).

If they are not for striking, use the cherry and finish it for beauty. We have black walnut so I like scrap black walnut for decorative handle that don't have to be hard.

A short section of copper pipe, while not as nice as brass, make a nice striking end ferrule, but I don't use ferrules on my own chisels, they don't seem to fail.

Copperhead don't play · Jan 3, 2016

Dogwood or persimmon wood will not split.

Wood Chisel Handles

ErnieD

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Catskill Pete

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Dick2

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Stephen Newell

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da.bees

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TimV

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Andy Martin

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Copperhead don't play

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