[Josh MacNeil]

Does anyone know what type of wood Windlass uses for their short polearms? I recently bought two and am debating whether I should replace the hafts with better wood. But I wanted to know if their stock hafts would hold up to use.

[JE Sarge]

I think it's dry-kilned sheesham wood - which is a tropical hardwood from India. The color can vary from light to dark brown, and can be bleached or stained to look like just about any other wood. It's fairly durable, grows quickly, and is easy to work with, which is why most imported Indian / Pakistani wooden items are made of it. The downside of the wood is that it is grown in a tropical climate and it will tend to dry out, loose strength, and develop checking (cracks) over time.

I'd recommend replacing the haft with an ash one, unless you are using for display only purposes.

[Chuck Russell]

i agree. had a friend just tap a shield with a windlass axe and the head flew off with part of the handle still in it

[Josh MacNeil]

I'll definitely be replacing one of them. They're both project pieces, but one will be a birthday gift for a friend. That one probably won't see much use. At the most maybe a few whacks at some plywood or smiting some watermelons. It has wide langettes covering more than half of the haft. So I may decide to keep the haft on that one.

If I do decide to keep it, are there any treatments I could use on the stock haft to prevent it from drying out?

[M. Oroszlany]

Cooking oil usually works pretty well on wood in my experience. Rub the haft with a thick layer of vegetable oil, let it stand for a day or two, then remove the excess with a dry sponge or paper towel.

[M. Eversberg II]

Boiled linseed oil or tung oil is best. I've also heard mineral oil, but I've never tried that approach. I've also heard veg oil can spoil in open air, but I'm not an expert there.

M.