Best type of wood for an axle

I understand that not all wooden axles are equal. I’ve heard that some types are more prone to scorching or wear than others.

So what are the best woods to use for a fixed axle and why?

I don’t know if I can explain the why’s behind some of these, but here are some of my favorites.

Walnut, Oak, Maple.

Walnut & Oak - hard, long lasting, smooth once broken in, good response.

Maple - smooth right off the bat. Not as grippy of a response.

As far as scorching and wear, personally I don’t worry about those things, it’s going to happen. You’re talking about 1 moving part with a stationary part creating friction on that. Axle = moving at a high RPM, with a stationary string that is causing friction on the axle. Wear is going to happen no matter what. But Oak & Walnut for me seem to last the longest.

Whatever the No Jive axles, and ProYo axles are made of, those seem to scorch the easiest. Although, I have a few No Jives from Stuart Crump, two of which were solid players of his. Tons of wear on the axles, they’re pretty thin, and have a nice curve from the wear on the string, but they still play great.

I’d just try out different axles to find the one that you like the best. That’s something I really love about TMBR’s axle system, it allows you to try different materials. I had Colin make me up a bunch of axles a couple years ago. I should be good on axles for my TMBR’s for the rest of my playing days :slight_smile:

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I was under the impression that maple is actually harder than walnut. Wouldn’t this make it more durable? Perhaps is just scorches more easily.