A bit of She-oak, add some brass and ...

looks awesome
great work

-- Junior -Quality is never an accident-it is the reward for the effort involved.

that is SWEET .

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

very nice…looks to good to use :-)

-- Todd, Oak Ridge, TN, Hello my name is Todd and I'm a Toolholic, I bought my last tool 10 days, no 4 days, oh heck I bought a tool on the way here! †

That’s a beauty! Where do you put the batteries?..:)

Beautiful, nice job!

-- Bill, Florida

Nice!!!!!!!!!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Very nice! Where did you find the hardware for this?

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

Beautiful wood. My meager piece of She-Oak is too precious to use for a tool. I’d love to get some Tasmanian Blackwood with some crazy graining! Alas, it’s probably firewood in your neighborhood. I have maple and blackwalnut to trade!

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Amazing tool!....is this type of wood special for tools?

-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.

She-oak is an extremely hard wood with considerable interlinked grain. This is what makes it ideal for this purpose. A lesser wood would flex or break. This stuff is like steel!

Here is a link to a list of international timbers. You can look up their hardness/density ratings, etc:
http://www.worldwideflood.com/ark/wood/timber_list.htm

I frequently use Jarrah (hardness rated here at 8.5), Karri (9.0) and She-oak (14). By comparison, look at the ratings for USA Sugar Pine (1.2), Poplar (2.3), White Oak (6.0) and hard Maple (6.9).

Regards from Perth

Derek

-- Building and Reviewing Tools at http://www.inthewoodshop.com

Beautiful and functional tool ! The grain in both species is wonderful and your finish looks flawless : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Very nice! I, too would like some info on where to find the hardware. Thanks for the inspiration!

-- www.swirlsandburls.com

Beautiful looking tool. Great job.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

Thats cool…I would be afraid to use it for fear of scratching it..

-- amos

Beautiful, great choice of wood.

I like it!
Thanks for sharing it with us.

-- ''Carry on my wayward son''

OK, the mechanical bits and pieces …

The chuck is, in fact, a spring-loaded clip in adapter for a drill, used for quick changes of bits.

Regards from Perth

Derek

-- Building and Reviewing Tools at http://www.inthewoodshop.com

As usual – phenomenal and inspiring! Thanks for the post, and for the details

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Derek, does the she-oak keep that color or does it change with exposure to UV??

fred

-- Fred, Springfield, Ma

Derek thanks for the link to wood hardness values. I’ve just decided that my workbench is going to have a Bluegum top. I can get it a lot easier than the hard Maple that I was thinking of using. I can get tons of Bluegum for free, but hard Maple is imported.

Bluegum also has the interlinked grain you mention for the She-Oak, so it should work well for all sorts of tools and handles. I wasn’t thinking of using it until I saw (via your link) how hard it is. It’s harder than Jarrah!?? Wow!!

-- I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.

Hi Fred

All wood changes colour when exposed to UV. As far as I am aware, She-oak is as pretty stable.

Hoe gaan dit, Wood Hacker.

I imagine the Bluegum of South Africa is much the same as here in Oz.

Regards from Perth

Derek

-- Building and Reviewing Tools at http://www.inthewoodshop.com

Goeie Naand Derek
Dit gaan uistekend dankie.

So either you’re an export, or you’ve met some of the plenty-thousand South Africans in Perth :-)

In SA we have several species of Eucalyptus which are ALL non-indigenous (so I have not guilt about felling them). They were imported mostly from Oz many decades ago for their ease of cultivation, and speed of growth. In some areas, they are now considered a pest, and earmarked for eradication.

The types most easily available to me (for free) are generally the Saligna or the Grandi-something. I have to say that Saligna is beautiful for flooring and house trims. It is becoming more and more popular as commercially available skirting boards and cornices.

-- I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.

WH

Ek is ‘n ou Kaapenaar, 25 jare in Oz.

I understand the exchange between Australian and South African flora and fauna. There are so many enviropnmental similarities in the two countries. In my front garden I have a magnificent Jacaranda which, while originating in South America, came via Southern Africa.

Regards ffrom Perth

Derek

-- Building and Reviewing Tools at http://www.inthewoodshop.com