Anyone ever saw ash wagon/mower tongues ?

[RayMO]

Just a bit curious about them.Thanks, Ray.

[beenthere]

Yes, have seen them. Been awhile tho.
You looking for one?

[Don_Papenburg]

Made mine from oak  Lost my ash

[pineywoods]

Had a neighbor ask me to saw him one. I figured out how to do it, told him to bring me a log, he never showed.

[Larry]

For a cannon carriage.  Getting the taper right was the easy part.  Making the wood behave was the hard part.  Two was more than enough as I wasted a couple of logs.

The only way I would make one again is if I could use dry wood and laminate.

[Happycamper]

When I lived in Ontario I made and used several Ash Pitman Arms for a sickle mower I had on a tractor. They worked out fine but White Oak is another good choice. I am using White Oak in BC as it seems easier to procure as we have no hard wood in the West.
                                            JIm

 

[arkansas]

Made mine from oak  Lost my ash

Now that is the way my things go, too bad, hoped I was the only one.

[Chuck White]

I've sawn out a few for "pony carts".

Not difficult at all.

[NMFP]

White oak is the best as a lot of them end up sitting around in the weather.  The trick is getting the piece of wood that does not have pith and is heavy clear.

Made a few a couple years ago and a few others to keep here at the farm for people that need them as they come up broken.  Seem to sell 1-2 of them each year. 

Tried doing pitman arms but there is a guy close that makes them and sells them for $5 each.  No way can I do them for that price.

[Billbob]

Years ago I made some ash pittman arms for a fellow's sickle side mower that he used with a team of draft horses.  Ash and oak are hard to come by around here.  The old timer's would use yellow birch for wagon drawbars, wheel spokes, etc.

[hardtailjohn]

I wish I had ash to saw!!  I use Doug Fir for my mower and wagon tongues here. Worked fine for years, but it's certainly not as tough as ash.  I keep asking Santa for a truck load of ash, but he never seems to hear me!
John

[ladylake]

I've sawed a bunch of them  , 4" one end and 2-1/2" on the other and most end up with a bow one way or another.  Put the bow up and it should straighten out a bit.  Steve

[ND rancher]

John,somebody whispered in my ear about wanting to trade wood? Did I hear him right ;)?

[wwsjr]

I have sawed several white oak wagon tongues. Used the tow boards on mill to get taper. Have not seen them since sawing, do not know about bowing. I sawed them from logs big enough to stay out of the center.

[RayMO]

Thanks for the input . I was just curious as I have a couple of nice clear ash logs and the Amish mentioned sawing wagon tongues out of ash .

[loggah]

We saw them out of hornbeam up here, i got some decent hornbeam in my sugar orchard ,and there easy to saw on the belsaw.

[Don_Papenburg]

I would think that if you are sawing out the tongues you would want to saw as close to the grain direction as possible .  Or saw large and rive it down .

[hardtailjohn]

John,somebody whispered in my ear about wanting to trade wood? Did I hear him right ;)?

We might just have something there! I've got Doug Fir and Larch, and Lodgepole.......
John

[marcusthgault]

I would think that if you are sawing out the tongues you would want to saw as close to the grain direction as possible .  Or saw large and rive it down .

Would be my understanding also, or preferably split the trunk and pick the straightest/ most suitable sections, then rive/drawknife down.
marcus

[thurlow]

I came along at the tail-end of the mule-drawn era; not sure about tongues, but the wood of choice around here for wagon beds was black gum.

[hardtailjohn]

If you saw mower tongues, make sure you make them about 4 1/8" square for about the first 2-3'.  They need to fit tight in the saddle to work right and if you make them a "nominal" 4" (3 7/8") they're sloppy and aren't worth the work!
John