Is Yew any good for axe handles?

[Everything Mac]

Your post don't come over very friendly or helpful either........

Some one really got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning. Chill out pal. No one is having a go.

This isn't a thread about woods for bows - I was just pointing out that the list you posted wasn't the be all and end all.

Robin knows a thing or two about wood so I'd listen to his advice personally.



You have a point Bill - as I said - let me know how you get on! I'd be interested to see how it goes.

Andy

 

[Ex member - Bilgerat]

In what way, my post says "that list doesn't say it isnt" note the smiley! your being a goon, also clipping robins post for your own ends is wrong and bad skills,

Strewth What is wrong with you man?

I was being ironic...... Clearly you don't understand that.

And like I can't do that..... Or your some sort of Forum Censor Police or something?

Move on.... Too much bickering and miss-information on this forum and not enough good information or enough laughs...

 

[rik_uk3]

Is there some anti Yewish stuff happening here?

 

[Toddy]

The replica bronze axe that we used for demonstrations has a yew shaft. It was made from an 'elbow' of the tree with the head affixed onto the trunk side and the offcoming branch as the handle. It was (and is) very secure despite a lot of ungentle use and hard work.

I was told at the time that the yew was very strong under compression yet it's springiness allowed it to absorb the energy of the blow.

No idea how it would work as a haft on a modern axe with an eye hole. It'd be interesting to hear how you get on, and whether Robin's experience is the norm for it or not.

cheers,
M

 

[Stew]

I have a hammer handle made out of Yew. Seems to be doing ok so far.

 

[dwardo]

I tried it once following the same reasoning, my handle broke after not too much use. I also fancied the idea that yew being very durable an axe handled with yew could live happily outside by the logpile say without rotting. It is only one instance and trees vary a lot so I would be happy to try more, it was very beautiful.

Seem to remember your good self sticking up for yew as a tool handle, so i tried it with the same result as your self

 

[HillBill]

Sorry Hillbill, should have ignored rather than high jack your thread dude,

Not a problem mate.

 

[HillBill]

"In the past its wood was used in turnery and to make long bows and tool handles."

Taken from here
http://www.rfs.org.uk/learning/Yew

 

[Ian S]

Dredging up some archery lore here:

Yew was the preferred timber for bow making because the heart wood resists compression and the sap wood resists stretching. The sap wood is aligned with the back of the bow (the outer surface, further away from the archer) and the heart wood is aligned with the belly of the bow (inner surface, closer to the archer) to take advantage of this natural spring-like quality.

A big risk to a bow is the bowstring snapping during shooting. This is because the aerodynamic resistance of the string and the weight of the arrow means that the tension in a bow is released over a (short but) measurable time - it is not an instantaneous release. If the string snaps, you have an instantaneous release (this is still a problem for modern bows with fibreglass and corbon fibre limbs - a dry fire is definitely to be avoided).

This suggests to me that yew may well not be brilliant at shock resistance, and the impact of an axe into wood would be just too much of a shock for a yew handle. Quite how this ties in with Toddy's experience is not clear to me - I would be interested to know the weight of the replica axe head, and how large a cross section of yew was used to make the handle, and compare this to the handle size of a similar weight modern axe. It could well be that the replica axe uses a much thicker handle, which may give sufficient shock resistance.

Cheers

 

[rik_uk3]

As above......

Maybe start a sticky thread of the Best, Second best etc....

However Yew is not good fer Axe (Or any other handles)... ???

I know Jack Muck about handle wood so look forward to your evidential links or personal stories about Yew and the axe (as in haft).

Young William, go for it and let us know how you get on too, should make for educational reading all round

 

[robin wood]

This is Oetzi's axe

At a glance you would think it was easy to make using round branchwood for the handle and a section of trunk for the head bit, unfortunately the handle is from the trunk and the head bit from the branch, a huge amount of work, which is why I have never made one.

 

[Toddy]

I'm struggling to find photos of the axe; Monarch might have some.....but this is the shape of it from the padded layer of the 'toybox'
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f203/seamstimeless/DSCF0030.jpg

It was left with a hefty lump behind the head to add weight and stability to the head and the 'elbow'.
I've seen other yew hafted axes like this too, and afaik none have ever had a problem with breakages.

cheers,
M

 

[HillBill]

Yew was also used to make spears as early as 50,000 years ago. Indeed the earliest dated spear found was made of yew. Surely there must be a fair bit of shock involved in a spear thrust? Of course, for all i know, they may have broken regularly but continued to be used because of their hardness and ability to hold a point.

Dredging up some archery lore here:

Yew was the preferred timber for bow making because the heart wood resists compression and the sap wood resists stretching. The sap wood is aligned with the back of the bow (the outer surface, further away from the archer) and the heart wood is aligned with the belly of the bow (inner surface, closer to the archer) to take advantage of this natural spring-like quality.

A big risk to a bow is the bowstring snapping during shooting. This is because the aerodynamic resistance of the string and the weight of the arrow means that the tension in a bow is released over a (short but) measurable time - it is not an instantaneous release. If the string snaps, you have an instantaneous release (this is still a problem for modern bows with fibreglass and corbon fibre limbs - a dry fire is definitely to be avoided).

This suggests to me that yew may well not be brilliant at shock resistance, and the impact of an axe into wood would be just too much of a shock for a yew handle. Quite how this ties in with Toddy's experience is not clear to me - I would be interested to know the weight of the replica axe head, and how large a cross section of yew was used to make the handle, and compare this to the handle size of a similar weight modern axe. It could well be that the replica axe uses a much thicker handle, which may give sufficient shock resistance.

Cheers

 

[Ian S]

Surely there must be a fair bit of shock involved in a spear thrust?

Probably is, but the major difference is in the force vector compared to the grain alignment. With a spear you are thrusting in line with the grain, so the force is along the grain. With an axe and with a bow, the force is at 90 degrees to the grain.

Cheers

 

[Retired Member southey]

would the head hitting the wood not act in a similar way to the arrow and string in it not being an immediate stop but slowing as it cuts ?

 

[Retired Member southey]

This is Oetzi's axe

At a glance you would think it was easy to make using round branchwood for the handle and a section of trunk for the head bit, unfortunately the handle is from the trunk and the head bit from the branch, a huge amount of work, which is why I have never made one.

Quite cool how similar it is to these( though the adzes look as though there the other way round, branch for handle and trunk for head)

 

[ged]

This is Oetzi's axe ...

IIRC the head was made of copper, so is that a good material for axe heads...? okenest:

 

[robin wood]

IIRC the head was made of copper, so is that a good material for axe heads...? okenest:

you got me there, but the chap lived in a wood age, he had on his person at the time of his death the products of 17 different tree species how many do you have on you right now?

 

[ged]

... he had on his person at the time of his death the products of 17 different tree species how many do you have on you right now?

AFAICT right now, zero unless you count cotton. Several different kinds of steel though, and a pound shop turbo lighter.

 

[Ex member - Bilgerat]

I know Jack Muck about handle wood so look forward to your evidential links or personal stories about Yew and the axe (as in haft).

Young William, go for it and let us know how you get on too, should make for educational reading all round

Errr.... I have posted the evidential link.....

I personally have no plans to make any axe hafts out of Yew....

So, I also await any results....