Advise on Wood Choices

[Dennis Paish]

Which of the following does not require stabilization for knife scales?

Kingwood
Santos (Pau Ferro) Rosewood
Tulipwood (Brazilian)
Bubinga
Rosewood (Indian)
Ebony

Thanks,

I will post pictures of my purchase this evening.

Dennis

 

[John L]

The rosewoods and ebony do not require stabilizing....but you can stabilize ebony. Rosewoods do not stabilize well...I think.

 

[KnifeMaker.ca]

There are two different questions to be asked.

• What woods require stabilizing
• What woods cannot (and vs can) be stabilized

Most rosewoods do not accept stabilant well (too oily). Some woods like ironwood just plain resist anything getting in far. Most of them hold up pretty well unstabilized because of their natural qualities.

There are many woods that work just fine without stabilizing (Koa - Walnut etc) but they take stabilant well and do benefit from the added protection it offers.

I know - that didn't help at all. Just wanted to be sure you were asking the question you intended to ask.

 

[Phillip Dobson]

I would be comfortable using any of those woods (though I've never used Pau Ferro), without stabilization.

I'm not sure I'd even want to stabilize ebony. I think its big benefit is the texture and feel. Otherwise you might as well get plastic. Ebony will take as fine a polish as you want. I'm working on a box with ebony (and pink ivory) polished to 8000-grit (1 micron). The wood in this photo has no finish compound whatsoever applied. You can even see the tree-rings .

I feel that bubinga might benefit from stabilization, but I'd only do that to the very best material.

 

[jdm61]

Members of the rosewood family, which includes African blackwood, are darn near foolproof as they come from the "factory":thumbup: