anyone ever use cedar on handles?

[Kiwi303]

heres some pics of kauri... these are from a NZ website that sells kauri blanks and woodturning supplies.
www.thewoodturnersstudio.co.nz

" This knife was crafted by Keith Lisle, Alabama, USA using our kauri swamp test age 3860 years buried "

heres a bit of kanuka wood,

and the knife I've made from kanuka firewood.

a quick browsing with google images showed plenty of timber and furniture made using rimu and totara, but this is the best place to see if you want to understand what the woods are like...
http://www.bushmansfriend.co.nz/photos-native-tree-wood-timber-xidc12117.html

hope this helps

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

My second knife I used cedar because it was all I had around. Slabs took the shape , sanding and drilling fine. Came out nice red color/blonde color that I am not unhappy with. I don't think I will be using it again because dust was extremely fine and irratating despite face mask respirator and got into everything (sneezed for days)

thats one bad thing about cedar. there are alot of people who are allergic to it. mostly the pollen but sometimes even the wood itself. i myself am not allergic to it or i would have already had all the cedar gone.

 

[Kevin Cross]

I have used white cedar on three or four knife handles so far (stabilized). It worked well and people seem to like the looks of it. Haven't used the red yet but I think it should easily work. Also I think stabilizing it would cut down on the allergy problems,. KDC

 

[Dave Bowen]

I have some out in the garage. I'm going to try it this weekend and see how it comes out.

Pimpin, would your wood need to be dried first? The humidity in bandera is like 400% isn't it?

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

the logs have been sitting out for about 4-5 months. im sure they are still pretty green in the center but if cut small enough should dry out in about 4 months. a normal scale might dry out in about 3 months.

 

[Jim L.]

i was just curious if there is any demand for cedar handles or if anyone has used cedar on handles. seems like it would make a good looking handle and i know for a fact that cedar withstands the elements alot longer than alot of other woods out there. if there is any demand for it i have cedar readily available to me. also i can cutup a block and ship it to anyone who wants some. i have logs sitting in my yard taking up space.

Hey PS! I've recycled parts of a cedar chest into a couple of handles. I cut the plank into small squares then layered them with brass (3/64) spacers much like a leather handle. Just make sure to alternate the grain direction for a spectactular pattern.

Jim L.

PS i'm playing with some Pecan "drops" right now. Hmmmmm.......

 

[J.McDonald Knives]

pecan is good for cooking on. let me know how it looks on a knife. i have a few pieces of cedar i need to ship out. once i get my vaccuum chamber going im going to be stabilizing some mesquite and cedar. still have yet to make a knife but i still want to have everything ready.

 

[bartblade]

they use ceder for pallets. they stand up to several hundreds of pounds of product setting on them

i used some for handle grips on an air pistol. it looks great i used polyurethane to seal it up

 

[GibsonFan]

I cut the plank into small squares then layered them with brass (3/64) spacers much like a leather handle. Just make sure to alternate the grain direction for a spectactular pattern.

Jim L.

PS i'm playing with some Pecan "drops" right now. Hmmmmm.......

Got pics? That sounds really cool. It must be very strong, too.

 

[jdm61]

That's a good point, BigJimSlade, buyers really like nice figure. I used to think my cabinet-maker uncle was real picky about grain... then I got into high-end guitars... I don't think folks realize how difficult it can be to find a piece of wood with such noticeable grain that it shows up on a piece as small as a knife handle.

Your comment about maybe dressing up "plain" wood with inlay or etc. is a good one.

and most of the maple you see on the most desirable Les Pauls wouldn't show well on a knife handle because ths stripes are too wide!

 

[Mike Arsenault]

I recall something about cedar being an irritant/poisonous, which is why it isn't used around the kitchen (cutting boards, bowls, etc.) I doubt it's an issue with a knife handle though, but probably explains the effects of the grinding dust. Wear a respirator I guess.

 

[GibsonFan]

and most of the maple you see on the most desirable Les Pauls wouldn't show well on a knife handle because ths stripes are too wide!

Exactly. I've been toying with the idea of a rosewood knife handle with a split trapezoid inlay, though

 

[elginrunner]

Years ago i helped out in a gunshop. They made cedar gun cabinets there too. lots of cedar were left laying around. I thought, hey that would look cool on my ol' six shooter.

Cedar while it is very pleasing to the eye, and pleasant smelling is better left for boxes and cabinets and so forth. I found that the wood was not very dense, and as a result showed every dent and ding, even after finish. I tryed to saturated in BLO thinking that the fibers would soak up and result in a tougher, more dense wood. It failed miserably.

So i guess it depends on what your going to do with it. A show piece would look great, every day work, I don't believe it would hold up... of course my opinion and a dollar will buy you a coke....

 

[Jon Christensen]

I've used cedar before, from a fence post here in Mt. Beautiful figure in it but it does need to be stabilized IMHO. Stabilizing cedar is tricky. Chuck Bybee & WSSI have worked on it and figured the process for it out though!!!
Here's a link to Chucks site.


Jon

http://www.alphaknifesupply.com/