tasmanian oak for jo

[jezah81]

Hi guys,
Im thinking about starting jodo and i was wandering if i would be able to use tasmanian oak to make the jo out of, or is this type of oak not suitable in this case? Does anyone have any experience with this wood?
regards,

[Mekugi]

Red Gum works rather well- if it's similar it may work just fine
The best one available mass market is the White Oak. Japanese Red Oak (the Japanese species not to be confused with Red Oak that comes from China, and is mass produced for weapons and stinks to high heaven) is very nice. The downside it is very rare and very expensive.

You might try looking into flooring hardness testing charts and see what they say and to give you an idea of what is out there.
Usually the Janka test rating is used, that is pretty universal and is easily recognized.
However, it seems to me that harder does not mean stronger in a lot of cases.

I think the best thing to do is give it a try, if you can lathe the stuff easily enough. Some woods don't take to lathing well at all, so you might want to start there with something small.

Just a thought..

-Russ

[Mike Mules]

Tassie Oak should be fine. I used a Tasmanian Oak bo for a number of years, and it doesn't splinter, or damage others' weapons too badly. It is quite heavy, however. All I did was go to Bunnings and buy a length of 25mm dowel.

For those in the northern hemisphere, Tasmanian Oak is the trade name for Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans ), a type of gum tree found in Victoria and Tasmania. It is often used for cabinet making, floorboards and for those with enough money, structural building.

Hope this has helped.

[Tim Atkinson]

Spotted Gum is another timber that is being used in Australia by the Jo community.

Similar qualities to the white oak, and has the weight of those old Japanese jo that all the seniors have, and that you would love to get your hands on.

Martial Arts World carries the spotted gum jo in a number of diameters.