Elm for Chisel Handles and Mallet Heads?

[Stew Denton]

I won't be making new handles for chisels in the next few months, probably, so was going to wait on this question, but decided to ask now anyway.

Elm is a pest tree, in my view, around here. It isn't used for much of anything. However, it is hard to split, so they say, because of it's interlocking grain structure.

It isn't particularly dense or hard, but because of it's split resistance, I was wondering if it would be good for chisel handles, on firmer chisels that are going to be used with a mallet, or for mallet heads? I assume that the answer is no, because you don't see it described for such uses.

The advantage for me is that it is readily available around here for free.

What do you think?
Regards,

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

I took a look here:

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/american-elm/

Though uncommon, some folks might have skin or eye sensitivity.

My way to find out what works and what doesn't is to give it a try.

It could be as easy as taking a piece cut for firewood and beating on it with a hammer.

jtk

[Jeff Heath]

Stew

There are better choices, and there are worse choices. What are you after? If you want something that will resist splitting and give a functioning outcome with zero money spent (assuming you're getting it from firewood) and your time to turn or make, then go for it. You will be able to dent it a little, but so what. I have a mallet I made out of a scrap of cherry 16/4 cutoff; far from the best choice, and both ends are dented in substantially. But, it has never split, and it works great, so what else matters. If it ever splits, I'll just make another one out of denser stuff I have laying around at the time.

If you're the type who wants it to remain looking as if it has never been whacked, or used, then you should be looking at much denser woods. Osage orange, locust, hornbeam, ironwood, persimmon, pecan.......just to name a few. I've got some persimmon 4/4 stock that I use for plane boxing that is the only true North American ebony. I believe it would rival some of that highly touted Aussie wood that Derek has been bragging about for so long. You can pound nails with the stuff without making a mark.

White Oak is also dense and hard, within reason, and is readily available, too. I've made quite a few tools out of white oak that I'm very happy with.

[Glen Canaday]

Elm also makes a fantastic bow. Since I mostly use a hatchet, rasp, and a scraper when I make them, it's still plenty neander enough!

[Rick Whitehead]

I made a British-style cabinet maker's mallet from Elm. It has held up well, although it's a bit light.
It's the top one in the photo. The other one has an Osage Orange head and a Hickory handle.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/knifmann/SAM_0197_zps1195b66b.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/knifmann/media/SAM_0197_zps1195b66b.jpg.html)
I think that Elm would make some nice chisel handles also, although I've never made any with it.
Rick

[Adam Cruea]

Depends. . .what kind of work are you doing?

I've make both of my mallets out of hickory and white oak. The work I do ended up destroying the QSWO mallet. My larger hickory mallet (Thor's Thunderhammer, V2) looks like it's been heavy used after maybe 2 or 3 years of what I would call mild usage. The little hickory thumper I have looks a little better.

Keep in mind, though, I'm the same idiot that made a workbench from hickory and while making the mortises for it ended up destroying every mallet I had made, and I ended up having to use a 28 oz deadblow hammer that looks like it's been beaten to death. I've also snapped hornbeam handles and split the beech handle on my Ray Isles mortise chisel (beech).

So, long story short. . .YMMV. It all depends on what you do.

[Frank Drew]

The elm I've used was a bear to split but turned well and the prominent grain showed nicely in bowls and flat work. Another difficult-to-split wood is apple and it would make a nice handle, probably better, or at least smoother to the hand, than elm.

[Mike Holbrook]

Elm is popular for staked chair seats when people can find it. The reason is the chair legs are "staked", tapered & wedged mortise & tenons, that can split woods with straight distinct grain like oak. The legs are a tapered wedge driven into the wood so the elm grain pattern helps prevent splitting. The other factor is the seat is a soft wood like: elm, pine, polar...while the legs are a harder wood like Oak, Maple or Ash. The difference in the hardness of the two woods helps.

The softer, interlocked grain in Elm is helpful for chair seats but I am not sure it will have the same advantage for a mallet head or chisel handle.