Thanks for your replies everyone.
Brian wrote:I suspect So Yamashita would know which woods to use for this endeavor, being that he is located in Australia.
Quite likely. As I'm likely to buy it from him I'll ask him at the time, although my quick and dirty research seems to suggest that Gadge's recommendation of spotted gum is spot on. It seems to be the go-to Australian wood for tool handles as it is strong and resistant to shocks.
Chris wrote:I have a couple of pieces of Australian buloke (bull oak - not actually an oak mind you), the hardest wood in the world, that I am keeping aside to use for hammer handles someday. Not sure how well that wood will work in that regard, but it will be interesting to try out.
Ah yes, Australian tree naming... I have a small block of WA She Oak (still not an oak, but from WA, and possibly a she given some members of allocasuarina are single sex trees). It is about the right shape for a kanna dai, whether or not it's appropriate for that is another matter. But I think it will be several years before I get to that.
Derek's (Yxoc) hopper-based house sign also used a casuarina, and I recall him saying it was a bit crumbly. There are so many different ones though that the properties could be completely different.
Gadge wrote:Use spotted gum. Probably the best aussie handle material. Can probably get a few pieces from the off cuts bin at Anagote Timbers in Marrickville. Send me a message offline if you need any help finding some.
I have a piece of spotted gum (actually a gum, and the tree is actually spotted) at home I got from Trend, although I'll need to check the thickness and grain orientation. It's certainly very dense... Anagote is on my list of places to check out, since they and Trend are about the same distance from my place.
Iain