Spotted Gum vs Hickory: Which Makes the Better Axe Handle?

Hickory's great timber. And so is spotted gum. I've used both and I'm not here to bag hickory, it's earned its reputation and it deserves it. But the argument about which one's better has been going for decades, so let’s talk about it.

Hickory won America because it grew there. Spotted gum did the same thing down under. They were both readily available and right on our doorstep. Two great timbers, two great countries. Everyone just hung what was handy and called it the best.

Now, you can order any type of axe handle from anywhere on earth. So the geography argument is dead. Only question worth having: are you getting A-grade hardwood axe handle timber, cut for grain, or just mass produced junk?

It's an old argument

Ask anyone in the States for the best wood for axe handles and they'll probably say hickory before you finish the sentence. That's fair, it's what their granddad hung, and their granddad's granddad. I get it.

But I've seen what happens when you put the numbers side by side and spotted gum's right up there. Harder, denser, just as strong in a bend. The rep hickory has? Spotted gum earned that same rep down here, for just as long.

Is spotted gum harder than hickory?

Yeah, and it's not close.

Spotted gum sits around 2,473 lbf on the Janka scale. Hickory's about 1,880. Roughly 30% harder. Spotted gum's up with the hardest handle timbers going. Hickory's a step down, sitting with white oak and hard maple. Serious timber. Still a step down.

Numbers shift a bit depending on source, it's a natural product. But the gaps hold.

Hardness doesn't hang an axe

None of those numbers matter if the grain's wrong.

What I want is grain running dead straight, top to bottom. No runout. The second it runs off to the side you've got a weak point, and that's exactly where it snaps. Spotted gum, hickory, doesn't matter. 

That's the whole problem with hardware store handles. Sawn for speed, not for grain. Fibres pointing all over the shop. Feels fine in the store, lets go on you out in the bush. Once you've clocked good grain you can't unsee the bad stuff.

I won't touch that rubbish. A-grade spotted gum, cut so the grain runs true, shaped for the Tasmanian pattern the way they used to. For Outbaxe, it’s top shelf or nothing.

Grab a spotted gum axe handle here.

FAQ

Is spotted gum good for axe handles? One of the best going. Hard, dense, and just as strong in a bend as hickory. It's been doing this job down here in Australia as long as hickory's done it in the States.

Is spotted gum harder than hickory? Yep. Spotted gum's about 2,473 lbf on the Janka. Hickory's around 1,880. Call it 30% harder.

What's the best wood for an axe handle? A-grade hardwood with straight grain, hung right. Between spotted gum or hickory, spotted gum's harder and denser, hickory's a touch springier. But grain beats species every time.