Another wood ID question...

A

AbLonewolf

Joined
Jan 30, 2020
Messages
83
Good Morning all.

Bit of history. So about 15 years ago, my elderly neighbour gave me be a bunch of hardwood scraps and some burls. His father, whom he says was a master finish carpenter, gave them to him before his passing about 20 years prior to that.

Back then, I rough sliced 6 scales off one of the burls. All I could get. They are about 6"X 1.5". I recall I had a bitch of a time as this wood was very hard. I used my 93 1/2 " bandsaw with a 5/8" resaw blade. So a couple of days ago, I found them stashed away and decided to run them on my surface grinder to square them up for scales, using a new 36 grit belt. Then down to 220 grit. That went very well, and the wood looks absolutely gorgeous!

Now I am planning on making 3 knives using this material, however, I would like to know what it actually is as I am not 100% sure. I am thinking maybe Desert Ironwood? There were no burn marks when I cut these things. The vertical curvy lines you see on the pic are the actual grain pattern.

Thanx in advance folks!...


gr9HCaK.jpg
 
Given the source koa is the most likely, The other possibility is Gidgee, but its less likely due to where it was found. Is the density similar to that of maple or walnut, or is it significantly more dense.
 
First of all, thank you all for the info. It does appear as though this burl I inherited is most likely Koa wood. Had no idea. But they are very nice.

One thing for sure is it was a challenge to cut. It is very dense, and heavy compared to other woods( maple and walnut) I have dealt with.

So I have no idea about this Koa wood. Any tips on shaping/finishing this stuff for scales? Worth it? Thanx...
 
I thing Gidgee as well. Koa will cut easily. Gidgee has a spicy smell to the block of wood, which is more intense when cutting or sanding.
 

Ringed Gidgee​

Ringed Gidgee: Acacia cambagei: Ringed Gidgee is a dense, arid zone acacia endemic to Australia. It is sometimes compared to a cross between Koa and Desert ironwood, having the fine metallic curl of koa and the high density and stability of desert ironwood. These properties make it a favorite of knife and tool makers, as it can polish to a high shine and reveal dense, fine curly figure.

Well after some of you fine folks mentioned this being Gidgee, did a little research, including looking at several pictures online, and I believe what I got is in fact Ringed Gidgee.

And Stacy, thinking back, there was a somewhat spicy smell when I shaped it with the surface grinder. The dust was somewhat "sticky" also, compared to normal dust. If that makes sense...lol.

I have some scrap pieces to play with (ie.drilling, epoxy, buffing, etc). I will try them soon on a knife build. This stuff is simply gorgeous! Looking forward to it.

Thanx for the info...much appreciated...Jay
 
It burns easily in sanding on the belt sander. Use slow speed and fresh belts. Clean them often with a rubber stick. Buff with matchless pink or white. Don't push too hard when buffing or it might scorch.
 
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