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Thread: wood quality

  1. #1
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    Question

    Hi and thanks for reading this.

    I'm thinking of buying a new bokken and bo staff. I've had a bo staff, made of japanese red oak. However during one on one kata training, it snapped in two. I'm thinking of buying a new set in white oak, how's the quality of that wood?

    Thanks in advance
    Fredrik Boström
    Mind over matter: I don't mind because you don't matter.

  2. #2
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    For a discussion of wood, try Kim Taylor's article at http://ejmas.com/tin/tinart_taylor_1100.htm

  3. #3
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    Fredrik,

    To answer simply: White oak good; red oak bad.

    Red oak is very porous. I've seen experiments where a slice of red oak is placed in water and a person blows through it as though a straw. The results were similar: air bubbles eminated from the end beneath the water.

    Same experiment with a similiar size and cut of white oak: no air bubbles.

    White oak good; red oak bad.

    I've broken about 3 red oak bokuto --- but I've never seen a broken white oak bokuto in 30 years of training (not saying it *cannot* happen, mind you).

    Regards,
    Guy
    Guy H. Power
    Kenshinkan Dojo

  4. #4
    James Lynn Guest

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    Originally posted by tatsujin
    Hi and thanks for reading this.

    I'm thinking of buying a new bokken and bo staff. I've had a bo staff, made of japanese red oak. However during one on one kata training, it snapped in two. I'm thinking of buying a new set in white oak, how's the quality of that wood?

    Thanks in advance
    White, Red and Pin Oak have poor crush resistance due to porous grain and not suitable for high impact practice. You will do better with hickory or an exotic hardwood.

  5. #5
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    Hickory, persimmon, ironwood, and walnut are extremely good. However, white oak seems to work just fine, and if it ever does break, it is inexpensive to replace.
    David F. Craik

  6. #6
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    Default Thanks

    Thank you all for your very good advice. I'm gonna go with the white oak, it seems strong and affordable.

    Train hard!
    Fredrik Boström
    Fredrik Boström
    Mind over matter: I don't mind because you don't matter.

  7. #7
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    When I first started training I had a very inexpensive red oak bokuto. That piece did not last long at all against a Japanese white oak bokuto.

    I agree with Guy. The white oak (particularly Japanese white oak) seems to hold up very, very well. I also have a bokuto made of impact grade hickory. While this one does seem to dent a bit more than my white oak, from what I understand the grain structure of this wood is sort of interleaved...almost insuring it will be difficult to break.

    As for exotic hardwoods....use caution. Many are great for solo practice...but do the brittle nature of many exotic hardwoods, I would advise caution. Some actually seem to shatter when impacting another bokuto or even when dropped on a hard surface.

    Regards,
    Matthew Ash

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