Hi

[Rowen]

I searched Google to see if hawthorn was a good material to make a shaft for a hammer and ended up here!
Looking forward to learning lots and thanks for having me,
Russ

 

[Fitzroy]

Welcome along. No idea if it would make a good hammer shaft but it’s a lovely wood. I made an incense stick burner out of a piece when I was a teenager (no idea why now of course) it sits on a shelf in my shed and has in emergency been used as a hammer as it’s so hard.

 

[DeBangis]

Welcome to UKWorkshop.

 

[Rowen]

Thank you both, if you don’t try you never know.

 

[Owd Jockey]

Hi Rowen, I have used Hawthorn for a number of tool handles over the years. I've attached a photo of a couple of files that have been given an Hawthorn handle. Hawthorn is a lovely wood to turn and shape and is quite easy to get hold of. To successfully use and work the wood, you need patience and a fair amount of luck. I've tried a number of methods to dry the wood out, with differing degrees of success. The small piece of log in the picture is one I;ve had for a few years and been drying in my garage. As you can see the inbuilt stress has resulted in radial cracks, as the wood has dried out. However, you can see there is a good chance that a hammer handle could be got from the wood if you cleaved down these cracks and the 'Wood Gods' were with you.

 

[Dovetail]

Welcome to UKW!

 

[cowtown_eric]

https://www.wood-database.com/hardwoods/rosaceae/crataegus/​

buddy and I just finished making 16 Plains Indian bows out of May Tree for theatrical props, so weren't hyper strong, but tested out to 15lbs draw-sufficient for application at hand: sufficient sources of osage orange and "hawthorne" being unavailable in sufficient quantities or within budget.

Should be good for handles