Lowes stave

[Simmental]

I just picked up this at Lowes for 12 bucks. It is 60" long and solid hickory with pretty straight grain. It is actually a contractors wheelbarrow handle. I am planning on cutting some "wild" staves to hide under the bed but I want to be busy while they are drying so I though I would give it a try. I figured it should work better than the red oak boards that are pretty much the only other option at the hardware store. What do you think?

[mikekeswick]

Hard to tell from the picture but if the grain is good then there's a bow in there!
I've made a few recurves from spliced axe handle's before I knew where to get good hickory from.

[Simmental]

Here is a closeup of the grain. I couldn't get a picture of the grain along the whole length.

[Hrothgar]

That grain looks great. One thing to keep in mind , the end with the handle has violated 1/4' of rings as it tapers. I guess you could reduce the rest of the handle down so that it is all one ring/ flat. Then you will have a completely even back. The other 3 sides shouldn't matter.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Anything is better than trim boards. Good choice.

[toomanyknots]

HA! Good find.

[Simmental]

Hrothgar, I was planning on doing just that, seeing as I have plenty of thickness. I was also planning on choosing the side where the rings are spaced farther apart for the back because I assumed that this is the side closest to the outside of the tree. Am I right in that? I will keep posting as the project progresses.

[dmikeyj]

I have used these for ring chasing practice, and backing strips.  As for the grain, just don't chase the underside, unless you want to try a concave back bow... (don't ask me why I mention not chasing an under-ring  )

[beetlebailey1977]

I have made a few bows out of those.  I prefer to saw it down the middle with a table saw the use that as the back that way the round handle ends up being a tip on the belly.  I saw saw it so the grain is quartersawn.

[lesken2011]

I saw some of those in HD, but they didn't specify what kind of wood, so I was sceered to try. They had some smaller stuff in ash, but none that looked too good, though. That looks like a good one. Good luck with it!

[KHalverson]

Anything is better than trim boards. Good choice.

im finding that out in a hurry

[Simmental]

Lesken, I thought that it was hickory from the start but it isn't a wood I have worked much before. Stacked next to these handles were some axe handles that were labeled and it was pretty easy to compare the grain.

[beetlebailey1977]

It is getting harder to find good hickory handles anymore.  Some are not hickory....always check to see if it is tagged that way.