Best handle material to start out with for starting out.

Triought

Triought

Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
129
Hey guys, I'm working on my 5th Knife and I had a question. What do you guys consider the cheapest handle material to learn with. Right now it seems like scales are costing me around $9 - $14 a pair and while that is okay, it seems kind of expensive for knifes that I'm learning on and not planning on selling. I looked at Micarta and it's running around $5-$9 dollars for scales from Jantz. Just wondering what you guys would recommend for an economic handle material for someone starting out.
 
Micarta is the cheapest I have found. I can get a 3/16" thick 5x12" sheet for $15 plus shipping but depending on knife size you should get 3-4 maaaybe 5. So it's a $5-7 a knife which is a tad cheaper than.
 
Wood. Hardwood preferably. It's a great material to use for learning, and can be very cheap. You can use stabilized when you give them to other people. If you're stuck on synthetics, buy Micarta by the sheet from Alpha Knife Supply or Masecraft.
 
Choose handle material based on the attributes you desire, not its cost... just like steel.

Don't be "penny wise, pound foolish".
 
james terrio said:
Choose handle material based on the attributes you desire, not its cost... just like steel.

Don't be "penny wise, pound foolish".
Click to expand...

While I'm learning I just want something cheap that I wont get upset if I mess up! I have some Oak that isn't stabilized but I was told that shouldn't be used even to practice with because it's not been stabilized.
 
Do you want to make a good knife or do you just want to play around for free?

Micarta and G10 and good hardwoods are cheap.

If you have oak to practice on, by all means use it. Oak will make a sturdy and serviceable knife handle if you finish it right.

Please spend some time going through the sticky threads at the top of this forum. All your questions and many more have been addressed therein.
 
Maple is the easiest common/cheap hardwood to finish, and black walnut is pretty easy too. Cocobolo and Padauk are available at most hardwood specialty stores in raw form and finish beautifully. Bocote is another good choice. Oak has large pores to fill. None of these woods "need" stabilization. I've used Brazilian tiger wood, and teak without stabilization too.
 
Pakkawood/dymondwood is dirt cheap and actually holds up well.... but it also looks cheap, IMO.
 
I would stay away from G-10 until you know more about shop safety in knifemaking. It is not a beginner product for most people. The glass fiber dust can be a serious health issue.

Use wood to start on. It sands and finishes easily for the beginner.
 
GHEzell said:
Pakkawood/dymondwood is dirt cheap and actually holds up well.... but it also looks cheap, IMO.
Click to expand...
The solid colors are fairly nice. The multi-color patterns look tooo... "70's flea market" ;) It is pretty durable though, and it's certainly inexpensive. Be wary of chip-out when drilling and cutting it.

One the safety side, it may not be such a good choice. Worst of both worlds... wood dust and synthetic dust from whatever they use to laminate it...

Regardless, dust protection and collection is important no matter what material we're working with. We don't want to be breathing any of that stuff.
 
Willie71 said:
Maple is the easiest common/cheap hardwood to finish, and black walnut is pretty easy too. Cocobolo and Padauk are available at most hardwood specialty stores in raw form and finish beautifully. Bocote is another good choice. Oak has large pores to fill. None of these woods "need" stabilization. I've used Brazilian tiger wood, and teak without stabilization too.
Click to expand...

This.
 
james terrio said:
The solid colors are fairly nice. The multi-color patterns look tooo... "70's flea market" ;) It is pretty durable though, and it's certainly inexpensive. Be wary of chip-out when drilling and cutting it.

One the safety side, it may not be such a good choice. Worst of both worlds... wood dust and synthetic dust from whatever they use to laminate it...

Regardless, dust protection and collection is important no matter what material we're working with. We don't want to be breathing any of that stuff.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I bought a respirator and been using it and a cheap dust collector system I got from harbor freight.
 
ok lets not only look at this from the cost but how much it sucks to work
i like the thought of oak or hickory rock maple also good. stableized maple can be had at a good price if not too full of curl or burl

iron wood cocobolo and the like are not only more costly to buy but load belts when shaping and can be respiratory irritants

G10 again no fun to work and like rolling around in fiberglass when you grind and put all that crap in the air micarta is much better about that but can still be harder to shape for a guy just starting out

edit to add that some times USA knife makers supply (tracy mickley ) has off cuts in flat rate boxes that a new maker can buy for littl emore then the cost of shipping. lots of odds and ends that can me made into smaller handle
 
I would recommend you look in the phonebook and find a local hardwood dealer. There are a couple around here and one of them has a large bin of cutoff material in their shop and will let you take anything for a buck a piece. I've pulled purpleheart, quilted maple, mahogany, cherry, goncalo alves, chechen, tulipwood, and other small pieces from the pile. They aren't big enough for furniture or turning, but they are all the right size to cut up on the bandsaw for knife scales...

TedP
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top