Bocote and Rosewood

etp777

etp777

Joined
Aug 12, 2002
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2,259
Stopped by a local 'woodcrafters" store. THink that's what they called it. ALl I know is that they had rack s and racks of beautiful and exotic(and some very expensive) woods. So anyways, picked up some East Indian rosewood and some bocote. Anything special I should worry about with these two? All woodworking, even plain old oak, gets my good respirator, only thing I use the old paper masks for is steel. And I may upgrade the respirator one more time to toxic gasses one when I get the purple heart next time I'm down there, just to make myself feel better. But Anything special I need to know with these woods, besides the point i already made of making sure I wear respirator and keep good ventilation? I already know that bocote makes for a beautiful handle as same maekr who clued me into this store for buying the wood showed me a knife he made with the bocote, that's why I went there today.
 
Cut the rosewood as close to what you need as possible. It gums up belts a little bit slower than soaking them in rubber cement would.
 
lol, well that convinces me even more that it's tiem for me to start on hidden tang knives, as I mentioned to friend who suggested this lpace, as the board I got is about3/4"-1" thick. Thanks for the tipTime for me to try something besides full tang knvies anyways, and I'll take it for that, even in rough state, that was some pretty wood, can't wait to see what it looks liek sanded up and with a nice coat of oil.
 
A lot of people experience allergic reactions with these woods. Bocote doesnt bother me, but I get a bad rash from rosewood. Especially anywhere that I sweat.
Kyle Fuglesten
P.S. the dust hangs in the air forever, I can usually smell it the next day in my shop.
 
The Rose Wood I have worked has been very hard. I like it when finished but dread shaping it. Hard Hard.

Roger
 
These hard oily woods file wonderfully, like hard wax. Since the dust of these tropical hardwoods is so nasty I avoid making it, I just cut as much off with saws and then file the handles to shape and finish them up with hand sanding. No risk of burning them and your control over the process if very thoughtful.
 
I have little experience with exotic woods, But I agree with etp777.

If the wood is really nice (hard to find), and you are not sure if you are allergic to it or not, I'd go at it with a rasp and files. Then finish it up by hand. It is slow going, but less likely you will mess it up.

(I screw everything up when I get in a hurry so I have learned that this is the best method, at least for me.)
 
I buy wood at woodcraft too. They always seem to have a good selection. In think it was bolivian rosewood that I got there, and only in 3/16" X 3" stuff. It was HARD but not bad to work with. Cut it close like they say and don't be shy with the rasps and files, it sands to a great finish but will burn and gum up belts if you try to hog stuff off too fast.
One nice thing, at least with the peice I had, is that its oily enough that you could dip it in water to cool things off and not have any ill effects. I was making full tang knives and it was nice to dip it when I was grinding the scales down to match the tang.
Watcos danish oil(natural, didn't try colored) puts a really nice finish on it too. Don't sand it too smooth or it won't soak the stuff up, 220 at the most. Even then it has a smooth glossy look to it.
 
Since we are on the topic of exotic woods, I hope this question won't be viewed as a "highjacking".

Looking to refinish a production folder for an older gentlemen friend of mine. He has requested bocote. I've prepared the scales, but I'm at a loss as to how I should finish the wood. Oil? Wax? Superglue?... The last time I used real wood for a handle was purple heart and I was asked to varnish it....so I did, although I thought it looked like crap the fellow loved it.

Any suggestions.

The use will be as a dress pocket knife. No field dressing for this baby.

Cheers,
D
 
Don't worry, no "hijacking" here, as I was gonna ask the same question after i cut out the scales and finished shaping them. Been working on another knife for now, as I got frustrated when I screwed up the original scales on that knife, so been ignoring it for a while. :) Anyways, happy to hear any input on how to treat the bocote.
 
I had forgotten why I liked this wood(just bought it cuz I knew I liked something about it) until I started sanding these pieces flat to fit my tang. Man I love the distinct, dark grain that shows up in Bocote.

But, I also emailed friend who first showed me this wood, and here was info he gave as to how he finishes his, modify as you might want:

Usually I take it to 320 to 400 whichever works for that peice of wood and how the wood feels. After sanding I use Min wax paste wax wood finish. It dries hard and shines up with a soft cloth. You can also use Watco danish oil
 
I have used bocote a few times, and i always coat with some sort of oil finish after sanding to about 400 grit, then wet sand with more oil and 600 grit sandpaper, once it looks like you want it use some paste wax, and buff with a soft cloth.
Kyle Fuglesten
 
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