2 Questions - Burl + Saya

[Runthemall]

I'm making a chef knife for my Moms 70th birthday. The handle wood that I want to use is a cherry burl that my son cut off a tree. The burl is dry, but would it work without stabilizing it? Maybe soak it in an oil after shaping? It's not likely that she'd ever use the knife. I could picture here putting it on display.

I'm also making a Saya for it. What should I use for a pin?

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[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Unless your mom just turned 69, you are about a year late for this project.

You said the wood is dry, but how long has it been aging? There is no size reference in the photo, but I would guess that block would take two to four years to properly dry. Burl and twisted grain like yours takes the longest to become stable.
You would then cut the dried log section into flitches ( flat slabs, usually about 2" thick for knife handle work) and allow them to dry and equalize for 6 months to a year.
Then cut into handle size blocks and slabs and dry for another three to six months.
Then trim to the size needed, plus about 15%, and send off for stabilizing.
THEN, make a knife from the wood.

Cutting and using the wood as-is may invite warping.

I find African Blackwood makes a great retention pin for a kitchen saya.

 

[Robert Erickson]

That will be a great birthday gift. It will likely become an heirloom piece that could get passed through generations and eventually get used. If it were me I'd have it stabilized to give it the best chance at a long life.

 

[Fish30114]

Good luck on the wood, Stacy know what he speaks of on wood drying--I would stabilize or have it stabilized regardless. I have seen a couple of guys in the Kitchen Knife KITH use mosaic pins for their Saya's -- I also think Stacy's recommendation of African Blackwood is good--I used teak on the several I have built--seems to be a good choice. You can find teak dowels on like e-Bay, and they are fairly easy to make into a pin.

 

[Randydb]

I was going to suggest using a moisture meter to check dryness. Wood "feels" dry on the surface but can still be relatively wet. I had a 4" thick maple slab that had air dried in a barn for 3.5 years. Figured it was dry for sure. I trimmed half a foot off one end to clean it up and the wood felt cold to me like it might be damp. I got out my meter and it was 18%! Had to wait another 8 months to get it down to a reasonable moisture level.

Getting wood stabilized is relatively cheap. Around $6-8 per handle.

You wouldn't need to stabilize the wood for the saya.

Randy

 

[Runthemall]

Unless your mom just turned 69, you are about a year late for this project.

You said the wood is dry, but how long has it been aging? There is no size reference in the photo, but I would guess that block would take two to four years to properly dry. Burl and twisted grain like yours takes the longest to become stable.
You would then cut the dried log section into flitches ( flat slabs, usually about 2" thick for knife handle work) and allow them to dry and equalize for 6 months to a year.
Then cut into handle size blocks and slabs and dry for another three to six months.
Then trim to the size needed, plus about 15%, and send off for stabilizing.
THEN, make a knife from the wood.

Cutting and using the wood as-is may invite warping.

I find African Blackwood makes a great retention pin for a kitchen saya.

Thanks for the advice. This piece is the size of a football and it was cut over a year ago. Looks like I'll save it for another project. I'd hate for it to warp or crack. I'm going to cut it into slabs for now.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Yes, at that size I would suggest drying for another year or so and then cutting into oversize handle blocks/slabs. Trim away any excess and waste, dry those for 6 to 9 months, and have someone check the moisture with a meter. If it is below 10%, send off to K&G for stabilizing. If not, dry 3 months longer or until below 10%.

That wood will make some really lovely handles.
I would have the saya pieces stabilized as well, as you want them to match and also not to warp in the moist kitchen atmosphere. I would cut the saya slab roughly to shape and a bit oversize for the desired blade and have it stabilized as one piece, and then split it after stabilization. If the finished saya will be 5/8" thick, cut the block 1" thick and roughly saya shaped for stabilizing.

A 1/4" mosaic pin with a turned cap from a scrap of the cherry wood on it would be lovely as a retainer pin.

 

[Randydb]

Thanks for the advice. This piece is the size of a football and it was cut over a year ago. Looks like I'll save it for another project. I'd hate for it to warp or crack. I'm going to cut it into slabs for now.

I'd suggest cutting it into slabs that are relatively thick. 1.5-2". It will dry quicker then. How dry it is right now is a function of where it has been drying the last year, temp, how wet it was when you cut it, and the humidity of your area. It maaaayy be dry enough. I have one of these https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.phone-works-moisture-meter.1000811546.html
My buddy and I tested my big slab and some boards with it and with a $400 high end pinless meter and the ryobi was very close. Within 1%. For $40 hat is good enough for me. You might want to cut your slabs and check the moisture content with one of these. The slabs on the outside will be drier.

Dryness in wood is relative to your area too. If you live in Arizona dry wood is below 9%. Pacific northwest and it is about 12%. Not sure what Florida would be. But you get the idea.

When you cut it into slabs it helps to coat the ends of it with paint or wax. It will help keep it from checking. I have found cherry and apple crack and twist easily. Even when I have bee very careful to coat the ends and leave space for them to dry. Sometimes they even look good for quite a while and then one day they are a mess.