making Ram rod and woods to make them out of.

[Harnic]

I don't care what my ramrods are made of, they're just for show.  I use a stainless steel range rod with an Ebony knob & brass jags/ muzzle guide to prevent wear at the muzzle.

[Stophel]

The english "Yew" as used for their longbows would probably be suitable.  And I think there is a similar wood available from NW USA? 

Yew is pretty soft, and I don't think it could stand the abuse it would get as a ramrod.

[The other DWS]

yeah,  yew is pretty fragile if skinnied down to ramrod size.

  Yew's major advantage was in the sapwood/heartwood junction and the differences in the wood at that point.  it made a great spring/bow if left in a large enough mass to hold together.  The old 100-pound=plus Robinhood-era warbows were thick as a grown man's wrist.  ( FWIW there MAY be a display at the Frazier that includes some originals from the Mary Rose wreck when we are down there on the 27th---unless they've sent that exhibit back to England).

I've got some old Black locust staves I cut and split out 8 or 10 years ago seasoning in the garage rafters.  Maybe this spring I can try splitting out some ramrod strips and see how they work.

[The other DWS]

greenheart wood might be good too, if it is obtainable.  looks like it is mostly used for structural purposes today

(Greenheart wood) species Chlorocardium rodiei)
also called bebeeru
valuable South American timber tree of the laurel family (Lauraceae). A large tree, it grows to a height of 40 metres (130 feet) and is native to the Guianas. The bark and fruits contain bebeerine, an alkaloid formerly used to reduce fever.

Greenheart wood, which is both strong and dense, is used chiefly in Europe for underwater applications, such as pilings for wharves and bridges and in ships. Its excessive weight makes it largely unfit for other purposes. Greenheart wood is dark green.

see also

http://www.durablewoods.com/woodspecies/Greenheart_Wood_Details.php

[Daryl]

TKS DWS - about hickory - even dowels of hickory make good rods - that's all we've used here for getting close to 40 years for me. - whoooo- 40 years - yikes?
Anyway, the reason dowel cut hickory works is it's stength in the seam between early growth and late growth.  It has strong internal glue. Maple also has much strength between early and late growth, but is more brittle.
The inner strength of hickory is why a self-bow's limbs can have runnout and still not break. If thin lams glued up, maple is good too - but not as good for rods.

[Jerry V Lape]

Couple years ago on here I asked about using black locust and was told it contains a lot of silicon and would badly erode the bore so I didn't pursue that.  

Longcruise' remark about lacking exotic woods here in the west got me to thinking about what is available here.  We have mesquite, catclaw acacia, desert ironwood.  Any experience with those woods?  I can cut enough mesquite out of the trees in my yard to get what is needed if it is suitable?  Splitting it won't be much fun though.  Stuff is stringy! 

[agaboric]

Wow thanks for all of the input on this subject I thought a few hits about it and that would be it, it is really fasienating how there can be some many answers to a seemingly simple question.
Thanks Everyone!

[Daryl]

Jerry- we used to have iron wood back east in Southern Ontario - very fine grained if I remember- and very strong.  I don't remember too many of the trees being particularly straight, but a rod can be straightened, just as a dogwood (or any other) arrow shaft can be straightened. I think the iorn wood might make a suitable rod.  I have no experience with mesquite - other than in BQ'ing.

[Robby]

There are a lot of different woods called ironwood, being close to southern Ontario, your probably referring to Hop Hornbeam. They don't get very big in diameter, 8"-10" would be a big one around here, it usually grows very straight, but as often it is what we call, wind whipped, follows the sun, or it spirals. The straight ones make good bows, and arrows. I have made range rods from Iron wood, and osage, lot of work there! I think hickory is the best,its workable easy to find straight grain, and to me anyway, seems to have a better small diameter strength and flexibility. Just my opinion.
Robby

[Jerry V Lape]

I am familiar with the eastern ironwood.  Not the same stuff as desert ironwood which is a thorny tree probably a variety of mesquite or acacia family.   

[Daryl]

Hop Hornbeam sounds right. TKS for the reminder, Robby.

[J.D.]

Though rounding split shafts was not mentioned, I thought I would throw in a coupla links to a coupla vids illustrating making round dowels from square cuts or square splits...in the event that anyone might be interested. 

IMHO, with a little creativity, variations or combinations of the techniques could be used to create ramrod blanks, arrow blanks, or what have you.







http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/24869?page=2

God bless

[The other DWS]

we had a tree we called ironwood, or muscle wood or blue-beech here in the greatlakes area. tough as all get out but it'd be too twisty to make into rrs.

I WAS able to order some samples of the Greenheart.  they said it was a straight grain but that the grain was interlocking and might have to be sawed down rather than just split--we'll see.   If it get here in time I'll try to bring some strips to Louisville

[Daryl]

Well, greenheart should work as noted above, it was used for spey rods - strength and flexibility was MOST important.  Seems to me many of the English guns had greenheart rods?

Anyone know for sure?

[shootrj2003]

Ii'm to ignorant to know better,but I use poplar dowels I carefully select at the hardware store for good grain,Dixie gun works reccomened soaking in kerosene,that old boy been doing this longer than any one else so it probably works,you can rejuvenate a few things with kero ,old time use was for saddles too.Bud Beaston in Oklahoma taught me that  he's gone now,but not what he taught me.

[Eric Krewson]

I am an osage guy and wouldn't make a ramrod out of osage, I have a little on hand;



Osage varies from rock hard to soft, has pins in it consistently as well as twisty grain. All that I have split that was clear and split straight was also fairly soft.

I work with a lot of hickory as well and find it perfectly suited for ramrods. Dogwood seems to have the right characteristics for ramrods even though I have never doweled any.

[smylee grouch]

I recently went to a big box lumber place and found hickory boards, 1" x 6" 4 ft. long that I am goin g to try to split and shave down to round with the ramrod scraper that I got from Acer . There were no knots or any crazy grain in the board so I'm hoping to get several rods out of that one board.

[Dennis Glazener]

Which big box store had hickory boards? I would like to try the same thing.
Dennis

I recently went to a big box lumber place and found hickory boards, 1" x 6" 4 ft. long that I am goin g to try to split and shave down to round with the ramrod scraper that I got from Acer . There were no knots or any crazy grain in the board so I'm hoping to get several rods out of that one board.

[smylee grouch]

Dennis, in my area it,s called Menards but I did see a couple of weeks later that a local Lowes or Home Depot , I cant remember which,  was also selling hickory,maple, and oak boards.

[Dennis Glazener]

Thanks, will check Lowes and Home Depot. Never heard of the other one except some one else on ALR mentioned it.

Dennis

[smylee grouch]

Menards is big and is headquartered in Wisconsin I think and goes across the northern tier west to the coast I think.

[Daryl]

Anyone with specialty wood retail outfits ever see Green Heart for sale. Seems to me,
 the Brits made  some long fly rods out of green heart as well as loading/cleaning rods
 for bore guns from the same wood. I don't think they used Purple Heart.
Maybe Richard knows?

Have to mention it here, Taylor and Ron, both from there have made a number of rods out of Osage - VERY successfully, too.
These were 1/2" on the big end, tapered for their S. Hawken rifles. That reminds me, Ron was going to make me one for
my 14 bore. Guess I need to jog his memory.

[James Rogers]

Hickory. Greenheart is documentable I believe.
Even London gunmakers were bringing in casks of Virginia hickory splits for ramrods at least by the 1760s. I'm sure need for enough material drove that move but certainly the characteristics of hickory were involved.

[G_T]

Purple Heart is a bit brittle and splintery. I'd not want to use it for a ramrod. I have used it for tip overlays and handle stripes in traditional wood bows.

If you are going to look at tropical woods, I'd look at Ipe and Jatoba. Both can have very straight grain, but are harder than woods you are likely used to working with.

I have a hickory ramrod I made about 25 or 30 years ago that I soaked in turpentine and linseed oil for a while, then finished. I've done the two person yanking a tough stuck ball out with it more than once. If the hickory is good it works well IMHO. But note hickory isn't one tree, there are several varieties. They vary in physical properties. I don't know about now, but back then it was no problem getting good straight hickory, particularly if you were in with the self-bow crowd. Also worth noting that a lot of Pecan is sold as Hickory. Pecan is good wood, just softer and weaker than hickory. I wouldn't consider it ramrod material, but it makes nice bows. One last thing to note about hickory - it's physical properties vary tremendously with humidity. That is why I'd recommend soaking (perhaps repeatedly) in turpentine and linseed oil to get it saturated, then seal it well a few months later. You want it as impervious to moisture as you can get it. Hot wax may be a very good way to do that. In the one I mentioned, I stained it roughly brick red (stain can fill pores a little) and finished with a coats of probably most everything I had on hand at the time, and then I think I waxed it. Overall it took a while before it was ready to use.

Gerald

[smylee grouch]

Thanks for that info G_T. Something to lookout for when making something as critical as a ram rod.