Ash, oak or beech?

looksee

I wonder if one of the timber experts on here could help me please?

I am purchasing some small craft equipment made of wood. It is thin, needs to be very very smooth (flat and edges), and quite hardwearing. Assuming the same quality of manufacture (hand made) and an oiled finish (and same price), would I go for ash, oak or beech?

I am tending towards beech because I like the look of it, but would there be any difference from a quality point of view?

jack of all

The type of equipment and its intended use would have some bearing on the decision; all are/ have been used for making handles and tool parts. Beech is tight grained and ideal for striking tools, takes an oil finish well and will carve well and take fine detail; often used for chisel handles, mallets, hand planes etc. Ash is a coarse grained wood (would hold dirt in the grain very easily), but strong and often used for chisel handles and tool handles of various types, but I don't think it would be suitable for very fine work. Oak has an open grain, strong and carves well, used for some sriking tool handles, plane bodies etc. I would say that beech is probably the best all rounder, but depends on the application.

Odelay

I love ash but have some chisels with ash handles, not keen on them at all, the open grain annoys me, the just don't feel "perfect". What will you be using them for?

looksee

Thank you for your responses, these are what I am looking at http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/58802775/tablet-weaving-cards-24pcs-oak-55cm?ref=shop_home_active_3 I think from your comments the beech would be best. They have to glide smoothly over wool or silk, which detect the most minute roughness, they are not used with any great amount of stress, but there is an ongoing minor stress, and the feel in the hand is important.

I really appreciate your comments :-) !

Odelay

Yep, beech would be good for that use. Hope you enjoy it:-)

Alun

I wonder what wood the ancient Vikings would have used? If you look at his other items for sale he has them in a variety of woods, including oak, ash and beech, plus a few unusual ones like padouk and zebrawood which definitely aren't native.

Another one to consider might be maple if you can find it.

looksee

The oak, ash and beech were certainly available. You are right, the Norway Maple - Acer Platanoides - was used for the tablet weaving tablets, found in the Oseberg Viking burial in Norway, but maple is not on offer from that supplier, and I believe it is hard to manage. I think they would have used whatever fine grained hardwood was available. They also used bone, horn and leather I believe. You are correct, the other woods are not native, but they are decorative, and there are people who do historical crafts but use modern variations on the equipment.

I am approaching the project back to front, I have no huge interest in tablet weaving as a craft, but I have made a loom based on the Oseberg loom, so I am going to have to learn at least the basics :-).

Alun

Ah, I didn't read your post properly, I thought you were planning on making them yourself, that's why I suggested the maple Sounds like an interesting project!

looksee

I had thoughts of making them myself, but i have a number of projects on and I think tablets are something you would work on very slowly round the fire of a long winter's evening - either that or have good polishing and drilling equipment and the jigs made!

recipio

Beech is close grained and very strong. It is renowned for not splintering so used to be used in fairground slides etc. Definitely the best wood for what you want.

woodturner

Sycamore would be another suitable wood.

kadman

woodturner wrote: »

Sycamore would be another suitable wood.

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