Ave!<br>
Shafts for pila and spears of any type were traditionally ash, a light-colored wood which was known to be best for that purpose (strong and doesn't split easily). I don't know if any other type of wood is known to have been used for pila, but I used hickory on one (reasonably similar to ash), and I know folks have used oak.<br>
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Oak is likely to have been used for catapults and siege engines, probably for a lot of buildings, too. It's just strong and durable. Cedar was also used for certain building projects (e.g., the Temple in Jerusalem)--not sure if it had specific good building qualities, but it is aromatic, and bugs don't like it (hence the moth-proof cedar chest).<br>
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Walnut is dark, like chocolate, and a real joy to work with. It is VERY common on reconstructed gladius hilts, but I do not know if it was actually used on the originals. The only wood hilt parts I have seen that were identified as to their species were maple.<br>
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It is also common, unfortunately, for reenactors to stain their wooden items to a darker shade. This should NOT be done! Stains are used to make modern cheap pine furniture look like expensive cherry or walnut, and apparently this look has, ah, ingrained itself in modern tastes. But a pilum was an expendable weapon, not fine furniture (or cheap furniture trying to look fine!), so it should look like natural ash. Sword hilts can be treated with a mix of linseed oil and turpentine (there was another thread about this), to preserve the wood and keep it from drying out and shrinking or cracking. Oiled wood will naturally darken with age, and always looks nicer than some cheesy stain finish anyway.<br>
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Pine is all right for burning. Some types make nice Christmas trees, but I prefer a balsam fir.<br>
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For seeing how different woods look, best to head for the local lumber store, or better yet a specialty wood store or even a wood furniture place, and browse around. Pine and other evergreens are "softwoods" while deciduous types are generally "hardwoods", but not all hardwood is actually harder than all softwood. Most modern building lumber (2x4's, plywood, etc.) is pine or fir, though other types are available. But you'll probably end up at a specialty wood store if you want long pieces of ash for weapon shafts, or nice blocks of walnut or maple for hilts.<br>
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Hope that gets you started! Good luck and Vale,<br>
Matthew/Quintus, Leg.XX <p></p><i></i>
