This began as a comment on another thread. I thought it might make a good Sunday Afternoon thread! Copied here:

Thanks Julio!

Yeah. All normal here: Once I get everything working, I've burned up my alotted time to use them! dig it. Haha. The only tools that are pretty dependable are the hammer and the shovel! Haha.

Hey - speaking of that - have you noticed that most manufacturers have stopped paying any attention to the proper wood grain in tool handles? Since 99% of consumers haven't been told what's correct - why bother. They will just replace the tiny percent who actually take back the broken tool, keep their receipts, etc.

The grain in the handle of a shovel, axe, hammer, pick, post hole digger, etc. is 90% of the life of the tool. Think of the grain of a wooden handle as the pages in a book. Think of using the tool, and envision the "line of force" applied to the handle. Imagine the sweep that the axe takes on it's way to split a chunk of log. A piece of wood is strongest when the grain is arranged as if the "book" were to be swung in the same arc, and you'd hit the spine of the book on the chunk of log.

I know you may not quite recognize how the grain runs in any given axe handle. Think of the axe handle as if it were laminated. There are the "plies" and the "glue" that hold the plies together. Remember our book anology. Wood is "pretty" when looking at it as if the book were laying on a table. You look down on the stack of pages and see lines where the contour of an object cuts THROUGH those flat pages. As if you would round over the edges of a book laying flat on a table. To round the sharp corners off, you'd cut through many pages creating the new rounded edge. Every page you cut through, would show a line. That's your wood pattern.

Now, we like it more if we'd have a book that got all soaking wet and all the pages wrinkled. It dried that way. Now, when we round over the edge, we cut through those wrinkled pages. The lines left are all squiggly now. We like that! So; now we understand where "Grain Pattern" comes from. So; in any piece of wood the pattern is from looking down on top of the flat book laying on a table.

But we want strength. For that we have to turn the book 90 degrees. We want to recognize the edges of the pages. That's the boring part of wood grain. That's the thin, thin lines that are nearly straight - nearly like looking at the edge of the pages in a book. Find that part of the axe handle grain. It SHOULD BE on the FACE edge and the BACK edge of the handle. Imagine the swing of the axe. If you'd over strike a bit and hit the chunky of log with the handle right below the axe head, that SHOULD BE hitting the edges of the pages in our book. Should be hitting the boring thin lines part of our wood grain. And, your handle will most likely survive. If your axe is Ike about 75% of axe handles in stores, and you just hit the PRETTY part of the flat table view of our book ... then you just BUSTED your axe handle. Wood is weakest in that direction.

Now, most handles won't be purely right or purely wrong. There are 360 degrees where they can cut a handle from wood. Someone would have to pay attention to grain and lines of force. And YOU have to look at 49 axe handles and choose the best. ALSO (no we aren't done) recognize that wood isn't all straight. The lines of the pages skew off on an angle. The shorter this angle of skew cuts across and handle, the weaker it will be. The longer the angle lines, the stronger. The LONGEST ANGLE will be 180 degrees - or STRAIGHT GRAIN!!! That's also what all stock admirers call BORING!!!! So, remember - PRETTY/WEAK .... BORING/STRONG! Haha.

Well ... That got out of hand!! Haha.

Gary
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I think I've kept up, but this might be one of those "a picture is worth a thousand words" type situations. Next time I get to Home Despot I'll make sure to stop by the garden tool bins and check out some examples.

So, which way is the grain supposed to run on the ones with the yellow plastic handles?

Skeeter tusk is offered in yellow now Sean . it's bi directional . Only a master wood crafter would spend that kinda time explaining it . I'm thinkin I got it too and I have always been a wood handle guy myself . It is kinda funny howmany FREE hammer heads ( 5 lb ) beaters I've gottin from guys who just throw them away and buy new. I do pick thru when buying handles . I can really feel the vibrations in anything other than wood .
Thanks fer the schoolin Gary .

Thanks
Kurt

Here ya go!

Found myself at Lowes!!!

Tell which are correct .... Which are wrong?

We'll get back later! Have a PARTY!!!! Whooh!!!

Yep Gary,
It sure did get carried away but it is still a valuable lesson! My Dad taught me that when I was a little critter and got my first Boy Scout "Totin Chip" card. I still have tools of his and of my Grandfathers. Tools were not put away unless, and until, clean, sharp, oiled if needed and properly stored. I find it amazing in todays world how many adult men I know who don't even own a 'significant' amount of tools. Sheesh, how do they ever get anything done?!?
Thanks for the time and the refresher,
Jeff

It's odd that you mention that Gary, I've found a rusty 5-lb sledge hammer head with a broken-off handle stump at half of the houses I've owned. I think I'm at four out of seven now, I've found two sledges plus a broken-off splitting maul at this house alone. Either people figure it's not worth putting in a new handle (not that hard or expensive) or there's some real Paul Bunyan types out there and sledge hammers are flying off into the untrackable yonder every time they break (I'm betting on the former).

I was just at the hardware store today looking at ball-peen hammers and noticed that the handles all had "American Hickory" wood-burned into the handles, which were all painted black! Why bother with pointing out you're using one of the best woods for the handle and then paint it to look like plastic?!?

And I'm voting for the top handle being the best, bottom left the worst, bottom right being just so-so. For a tapered or contoured handle you should see V-s and O-s on the sides, straight lines on the front and back.

Ding Ding Ding .... We have a Winner. A Null Expense Paid Trip to watch Moose and Eagles in their NATURAL HABITAT!!!!

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!



Gary

I have a bo made from same........

You a long bow guy Don? Tell us more.

You make your arrows?

I've loved bows since I could stand.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2015 07:54PM by barnespneumatic.

bo staff, or bow stave?

38 inch katori broken. I also have used my Excalibur crossbow.