Ron-

Lie-Nielsen seems to have a preference for curly maple for some tool
handles-
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/images/products/preview/1-sd-
set.jpg">http://www.lie-nielsen.com/images/products/preview/1-sd-set.jpg

But use hornbeam for their chisels-
http://www.lie-nielsen.com
/chisel-handles/

FWIW-
Phil


On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 8:28 AM, Gary Katsanis 
wrote:

> Maple is usually fairly hard, which is good for handles and allows for a
> smooth
> finish.  Maple can be brittle, but the twists in the curly grain usually
> hold it together.
>
> If I wanted a maple handle for impact use, I would insure that it has
> curly grain
> throughout to avoid splitting.  Jim Thompson got where he is with handles
> by
> making a ton of them.
>
> Make your handles.  Make mistakes, make better handles, and use up all that
> maple!! Then come back and teach us all.
>
> Gary Katsanis
> Albion NY, USA
> (Hoping to learn from others' mistakes as I won't live long enough to make
> all those mistakes myself.)
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject:        [OldTools] Curly Maple for chisel handles
> From:   Ron Harper 
>
>
> Have quite a few very old Buck Bros and Chas Buck chisels. A hodge podge
> of handles.
>  Turning a uniform set of handles is on my to do list. I love curly maple
> and have quite a
> bit of it. Anybody use it for chisels? Comments?
>
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