>I'm still mostly a newbie to turning. I have some 1m ash logs some of which I want to turn into a maul handle. Would I be best to get the log milled to near the size I want first or try and split a length off the log or is it better when turning, to obtain branches off a tree that are already close to the shape and size you want to turn.
The same question applies to some 10" elm rings I have for the maul head. Is it better to use those or branches that are close to the required diameter.
Limbs are terrible for this. For the maul handle you should rive out a blank so the grain runs true through the length. You could turn it but I use a drawknife and spoke shave so that I can follow the grain and keep the handle really strong.
For the head a root burl is the best. The grain runs in all different directions so it's must stronger. The problem is if they are green they will still split.
Go around looking for root balls that have been pushed over by the storms or by bulldozer at construction sites. cut off a chunck from these. Be carefull if for some reason the root ball decided to settle back into the earth it will crush you.
That being said my last one was just rived from a piece of ASh that was green. It split but I still used it for a year before it broke. That just happened a month or so ago so now I'm looking for a head for my maul as well. I've got a small piece of Dogwood root but I think it's smaller than I really wanted.
Get one of Roy Underhill's books. he explains how to make them.
>WRT the handle, I pretty much agree with John. But since you're talking about elm for the head, I don't see a problem with using branch wood and minimizing the work of cutting to size. The grain in elm twists every which way, making it very difficult to split and not very much subject to checking, a good choice for a maul head.