Need Help Making Court Gavel

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Johnathan

Johnathan

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My uncle, a superior court judge, wants me to make him a gavel. My question is not how to make it, but what to make it out of. He wants a very dark exotic wood. My question: What dark exotic wood is going to stand up to smacking it on another piece of wood all day long?

African Blackwood?
Wenge?

I really don't know. Is anyone here making these? The last thing I want is for him to be in court, bring the gavel down, and have it bust in two!

Thanks for your help.
 
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FYI, Lignum vitae is used on mortar and pestle, mallets, bowls ball, bearings, etc. You can also find really dark lignum to almost black color though most of the "fresh" stock may be greenish in color.
 
I think Verawood is a different wood (but not too sure)...they do use it as an alternate I think.


Vera / Bulnesia arborea

"Maracaibo Lignum Vitae". Virtually identical to Lignum Vitae except for less oil and a lighter color to the wood. It is also available in much larger sizes due to the growth of the tree. It is the only tree of the Lignum Vitae family that grows to timber size.
 
Here is an interesting hardness scale (it is not complete but gives you a general idea)...

Lignum Vitae 4500
Brazillian Walnut (Ipe) 3680
Bollivian Cherry 3630
Brazillian Teak (Cumaru) 3540
Brazillian Rosewood (Tamarindo) 3000
Brazillian Cherry 2350
Mesquite 2345
Santos Mahogany 2200
Marbou 1925
Purple Heart 1860
Hickory/Pecan 1820
African Perdouk 1725
Polars 1691
Timber Grass Bamboo 1642
Junkers' Beech 1630
Wenge 1630
Brazillian Maple 1500
Hard Maple 1450
Australian Cypress 1375
White Oak 1360
Vint. Oak 1325
White Ash 1320
American Beech 1300
Northern Red Oak 1290
Yellow Birch 1260
Heart Pine 1225
Black Walnut 1010
Teak 1000
Cherry (American/Black) 950
Southern Yellow Pine 870
Yellow Pine 690
Douglas Fir 660
 
Originally posted by chitswood
<br />Does Lignum Vitae have a different name?

I've heard alot about it, but I'm not sure if I've ever used any.
Click to expand...

May have other names but LV is most commonly used. You want toughness and strength. Hardness does not always translate into strength. But LV seems to have the qualites of both. I made a gavel for one of my clubs recently and wanted something that wouldn't break either. After looking at some gavels, I found they all had the same characteristic very narrow waist on the handle just behind the head. This looks like a potential weak spot to me. So I made sure the handle was hefty and tough. I ended up with a hickory (very tough) handle on a hackberry head (very attractive). Just make your robust. A pounding block, fairly thick (1/2" to 3/4") to resist breaking, up on short blocks will add to the noise making effect too.
 
Just to add a little to Darios info..........
Nolan

<u><b>Janka harness scale</b></u>
Ipe / Brazilian Walnut / Lapacho 3684
Cumaru / Brazilian Teak 3540
Ebony 3220
Brazilian Redwood / Paraju 3190
Angelim Pedra 3040
Bloodwood 2900
Red Mahogany, Turpentine 2697
Spotted Gum 2473
Brazilian Cherry / Jatoba 2350
Mesquite 2345
Santos Mahogany, Bocote, Cabreuva 2200
Pradoo 2170
Brushbox 2135
Karri 2030
Sydney Blue Gum 2023
Bubinga 1980
Cameron 1940
Tallowwood 1933
Merbau 1925
Amendoim 1912
Jarrah 1910
Purpleheart 1860
Goncalo Alves / Tigerwood 1850
Hickory / Pecan, Satinwood 1820
Afzelia / Doussie 1810
Bangkirai 1798
Rosewood 1780
African Padauk 1725
Blackwood 1720
Merbau 1712
Kempas 1710
Locust 1700
Highland Beech 1686
Wenge, Red Pine 1630
Tualang 1624
Zebrawood 1575
True Pine, Timborana 1570
Peroba 1557
Kambala 1540
Sapele / Sapelli 1510
Curupixa 1490
Sweet Birch 1470
Hard Maple / Sugar Maple 1450
Coffee Bean 1390
Natural Bamboo (represents one species) 1380
Australian Cypress 1375
White Oak 1360
Tasmanian Oak 1350
Ribbon Gum 1349
Ash (White) 1320
American Beech 1300
Red Oak (Northern) 1290
Carribean Heart Pine 1280
Yellow Birch 1260
Movingui 1230
Heart Pine 1225
Carbonized Bamboo (represents one species) 1180
Cocobolo 1136
Brazilian Eucalyptus / Rose Gum 1125
Makore 1100
Boreal 1023
Black Walnut 1010
Teak 1000
Sakura 995
Black Cherry, Imbuia 950
Boire 940
Paper Birch 910
Cedar 900
Southern Yellow Pine (Longleaf) 870
Lacewood, Leopardwood 840
Parana 780
Sycamore 770
Shedua 710
Southern Yellow Pine (Loblolly and Shortleaf) 690
Douglas Fir 660
Larch 590
Chestnut 540
Hemlock 500
White Pine 420
Basswood 410
Eastern White Pine 380
 
I took a quick look on the Internet and it seems that the most commonly used wood for gavels is Walnut; but other woods were offered as well including cherry, oak and others. I'm kind of guessing that most any wood would be OK.

I made a little shop mallet out of a piece of 4x4 fence post....probably pine.....and it has held up just fine with much more vigorous use than a gavel would probably see.

Is your uncle from California? Maybe you could use a native California wood......redwood?? Stain/dye it if you want it dark. Actually, redwood might be somewhat soft for this application; but I'm sure that there are other native California woods that would be appropriate.

Check out this place for some ideas: http://www.gavelstore.com/
 
Check with Don Ward as he has made many gavel-pens! I'd tend to go with something fun like a nice bit of walnut crotch. On something the size of a gavel, you should be able to get some beautiful figure. [8D]
 
I believe that carvers mallets are made of ash and or maple and they take a heck of a lot more abuse that a judges gavel. I might be mistaken but I think grain direction is important in this case.
 
Originally posted by Mudder
<br />I believe that carvers mallets are made of ash and or maple and they take a heck of a lot more abuse that a judges gavel. I might be mistaken but I think grain direction is important in this case.
Click to expand...

The cheaper carver's mallets maybe [;)]...the best ones are made of lignum vitae [:D]. They don't make them as much now because of the wood rarity and cost.

You are right that the grain direction matters. In the case of gavel, the hitting face is the endgrain which is ideal...just don't make beads near the edge because they may chip out.
 
PSI has 2 different gavel mallet kits right now. One is Ash and one is Maple.
If you wanted to check them out here is the link.

http://www.pennstateind.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

As mentioned before do check out http://www.gavelstore.com/ because you can see quite a few different types and styles. Good luck
 
Just searching on the net and i found these 2 links that are tutorials on making gavels.

http://www.turnedtreasures.com/project.html/gavel_turning/gavel.html

http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ewoodtuner/gavels.pdf
 
Just to throw a different thought into this. Have you considered using a tree from the courthouse area or the judges yard or if there is some remodelling going on in the courthouse you may have another source. And will he send me a get out of jail free card for my idea[;)]
 
honduras rosewood. strong,(just guessing but since its a rosewood ya you get the picture) this wood is often used in xylophones too so it must have great tonal quality.

what about redwood burl!

JK that would break with the first strike!
 
That first tut. is very good but he sure complicates a simple project. Part of what he does is necessary because he makes many as identical as possible. For just one, eyeball design has worked for me.
BTW, I like PSI, but a 'kit' for a gavel? Turning hunks of wood is what we do. Oh, well. If it sells that's free enterprise.
 
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