Woods that don’t require stabilization

[A_Zone]

Besides iron wood what other woods can be used in their natural condition?

[Tom Anderson]

Rosewood, snakewood, cocobolo,..... just about anything that has a lot of natural oil in it.

[peter nap]

All wood can be used without stabalization.....IT is just.......more stable.....if you do it. As already said the very dense oily wood gains very little from being stabilized.

[Kohai999]

African Blackwood
Bocote
Bubinga
Cocobolo
Ebony(does have a tendency to check, though)
Curly Koa
Kingwood
Lignum Vitae
Maple
Oak
Osage Orange
Wenge
Walnut
Ziricote

Just to name a few.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

[Mike Hull]

Most hardwoods can be used as is, like stated above.
Wood has been used for thousands of years for tool handles, without any problems.
Stabilizing has only been around for a dozen years or so.

Stabilizing was originally intended to make softer woods, that often have beautiful figure, harder, and suitable for tool handles, whereas they wouldn't be without it.

Using stabilization on hardwoods just makes a good thing better, it's not a must do.

[A_Zone]

I should have asked what woods won't move around when transferred to a drier climate?

Thanks.

[bladsmth]

Almost any wood that is not stabilized will shrink and swell with changes in humidity.Lignum Vitae,cocobola,African blackwood,some of the rosewoods,thuya,and bubuinga are some that are fairly oily (there are others).They resist 'moving around' more than most woods.I stabilize everything except these oily woods (and some of them).Stabilized woods take a great polish as well as resisting absorption of blood and other fluids.It is not a required thing,but it is a good thing.
SA

[Steve Hayden]

Mesquite is one of the most stable of hardwoods and is one of my favorites. Along with Ironwood, Manzanita and Bois d'Arc (Osage Orange), it is very stable in the natural condition. It does not check and will wear out your saw blades in a hurry.

The rosewoods are also stable, but are more oily. They cut easier, but clog belts and are a pain in the butt to sand.

[Kevin R. Cashen]

I have used a lot fo the oily hardwoods, all will move a little and leave those nasty sharp edges that were originally flush. The only wood I have used that barely does it, if at all, is desert Ironwood. I took care the most of it with a good soak in Nelsonite, I now even soak the Ironwood whether it needs it or not.

[Jason Magruder]

What is Nelsonite?

[Kevin R. Cashen]

Neslsonite is a great product for wood stabilization that Jim lucie put me onto a few years back, he has been using it forever. It is used by the furniture making industry in Grand Rapids MI, and can best be described as mutant Thompsons Water Seal on steroids. What it does, without pressure treatments or vacuum, is stabilize the wood so that it barely moves again, but does not turn your wood into a piece of plastic. You cannot tell it has been treated, it doesn't darken or change the color at all. The only way you can tell it has been used is if you really know what to sniff for, you can smell it a little when grinding a treated piece, and the end grain will not longer turn black if you apply a light brown stain.

I personally use the stuff on any natural material in my shop. Wood, stag, horn, some folks put their fossil ivory in mineral oil, I drop mine in a sealed jar of Nesonite and leave it there until I need to use it. It will turn white stag and ivory a bit of a translucent honey color, but I like that look.

Where to get it? Darren Ellis carries it, which would make it easier to get it in small quantities for those that don't live near G.R. MI.

[Mike Hull]

Originally Posted by Kevin R. Cashen

.................. What it does, without pressure treatments or vacuum, is stabilize the wood so that it barely moves again, but does not turn your wood into a piece of plastic.................

I do see on that site, that applying a vacuum is recommended when treating wood with Nelsonite, though.

[Kevin R. Cashen]

To be certain, a vacuum would pull it in really good, but the paper work from the manufacturer states that just brushig it on is good for furniture making applications, I have gotten more than satisfactory results just soaking in it, which the Nelsonite Chemical company's recomendations left me thinking was over kill. I will eventually get around to making a vacuum chamber for it, but until then I am happy.