Another zebrawood question

[Guy Thomas]

Are the stripes a natural feature of this wood or is it the result of a type of spalting??? (It looks like spalting to me which would mean the wood is in a decaying state.) -Guy Thomas

 

[ddavelarsen]

I've never used Zebra wood for handles, but seems to me it'd be great. I've made a couple of boxes out of it, and it's great stuff to work with. It sands to a nice luster and takes finish (I've used tung oil) beautifully. I'm sure it could be stabilized. The dark grain is part of the wood, not spalting. It's one of my favorites, and I think you'll be glad you have such a nice chunk of it!

Oh, almost forgot -- I was trying to come up with a rational reason for my instinctive resistance to cutting the scales cross grain, and I really couldn't. I'm sure the tang would offer adequate support for the scales. But there sure would be a lot of end grain exposed, which wouldn't finish as well. Just my 2c.

Dave

 

[Phillip Jones]

If you cut the wood so that the grain runs short it could split or crack when the wood shrinks and swells with the temperature/moisture variences. Especially around the pin area.

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Phillip Jones
Jones Knives
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=126319&Auth=false

 

[JH225]

Zebra wood is very nice when finished and very easy to work with. I am about to make a wine rack out of some. Should look pretty cool

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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "