Sledgehammer: Hickory or Fibreglass?

Longlowdog

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Aberdeenshire
sledge/hammers/fencing hammer that do not rely on follow through for energy = fibreglass, axes and picks hickory. F'glass absorbs vibrations very well and will protect your wrists and elbows at the expense of a little energy. Axes and pickaxes require less damping to allow the whole extent of the energy to be transferred to the job. Buy well, cry once.
 
I've just replaced my shank at the weekend (we call them a Mel) last one luckily smashed off on impact and not on the way up!

Carefully got the two metal edges out and made a 2-3" wedge out of the old shank. New shank in, old shank wedge in at 45 degrees as you look down and the 2 metal wedges in nicely spaced 90 degrees to the wooden wedge then the excess hickory battered and splayed across the top of the head and left in water over night. As good as new with a little bit of the old one for good luck!
 
Hickory for me all the time. Oil the handles yearly, seems to extend the life IMHO.

With axes, I have carved out Ash handles before.

image.jpg
 

aidan

Member
Location
Ireland
fiberglass

when buying new, its possible that if its an expensive one it just might have a hickory handle

hickory is good stuff and will last a while 4-5yrs maybe all depends how much u use it, but eventually it will break, thus u need a replacement and its impossible in Ireland anyway get a good quality replacement handle

thus buy one with a fiberglass handle
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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