ToneMonkey Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Alrighty dudes, I was talking to my mate the other night who's training to be a tree surgeon. Not only does this mean that I'll have a good supply of wood for my new stove (when I finally move in anyway), but I may have a good supply of logs to dry and use too. He was telling me that hornbeam is the hardest UK wood so I was wondering if anyone had used it for an axe? I know it blunts tools really bad and if you tap it it sounds like concrete, but that's about it... oh yeah, it's real good for burning too. Can't see him cutting down too many mahogany trees though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 I've used hop-hornbeam for knife handles but not a guitar... yet. There is a certain tree up at the cabin that is straight enough for necks. It is a very hard wood and what I have used has been very straight grain. For that reason I think it would make a good neck wood. It is a very heavy wood (denser than maple according to a few charts I've seen). I've tapped the small pieces I have and what I have sounds pretty ringy. I don't think there is much difference between hornbeam and hop-hornbeam (hop-hornbeam is the one with scaly bark). I can post a pic of the sword handle I made if you would like to see a finished pice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneMonkey Posted November 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Yeah man, I'd like to see that. i was looking on the UK knife building forum a while back when I was looking for something to build out of a nice block of wood that I had here. Think that one day I'll make a knife out of twisted demascus bar as I use a knife at work every now and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Not to derail, but I wouldn't mind seeing that sword handle, either. I've been wanting to get into knife making for a while, but I only have time for so many hobbies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Okay. Here it is. The center of this piece (and most pieces of this wood) is a good deal darker that the outside. I split the piece then turned it inside out so the dark wood would be on the outside. I finished this with tru-oil and it turned out nice (except for some little runs). I bought the sword at a gun show for about $30. All it needed was a new handle. Here's the plain side Here is the cool side The yellowish part of the wood is spalted. It is pretty stable and it looks cool here's the whole thing As you can see, this was a side project from my guitar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneMonkey Posted November 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Damn you all and your picture hosting websites. Damn you work server that wont let me see them. Damn, damn, damn. Errr, I can't see it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 What sites can you see images from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Hornbeam I love this site because it usually shows multiple pictures for each type of wood and sometimes a brief description. The link I posted is linked right to the hornbeam page and it only has a couple pics and nothing of much consequence, though it seems to be on par for the average hornbeam. Sounds like some wood worth trying instead of warming the house with. That site above is pretty neat if you can make your way back to the list of woods, its interesting to see how different pieces of woods can vary within a species. Best of luck. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneMonkey Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I can't see any pics that are hosted on any pic sites (photobucket etc), I can only see pics that are attached directly into the thread (which is also a pain in the arse for me as I can't attach any pics to threads as my computer is blocked from doing that too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 (edited) Okay then. Here is the good side of the handle. The dark wood generally runs through the center of the tree. There are a few little knots but this came from a tree that was about 5 inches in diameter. Edited November 6, 2008 by foil1more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneMonkey Posted November 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 Ha ha, oddly enough, I can still just see a box with a red cross in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.