Mike- I, too, use ash for chisel handles.  Broken shovel handles provide my
source for raw material.I wish that youth baseball teams still used wooden bats.
But aluminum seems to be the bat of choice in the 21st century.  I wish that
hickory was available to me from a common broken household item.  I've also
heard that hornbeam was a good wood for handles but I've never seen a piece here
in the desert.  Recently I've come across a large supply of mesquite and have
been using that wood for handles.  I like working with the mesquite.  The dark
color makes it easy to tell one group/set from another.For chisels or carving
tools that I know won't get struck then pretty is the wood choice.  I'll
usewhatever scrap I have handy and want to use up.chuck
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