Bone vs Wood handles

roninsgrips

roninsgrips

Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
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What are the pros and cons of bone vs. wood handles on khukris? BTW - that's not a loaded question. I imagine there are trade-offs either way.
 
Welcome Ronin!

I haven't scored any bone handles but i fancy antler more than horn.
If you are going to the use that khukuri with bone handles for heavy work i would suggest it's not a good idea.
It would be tricky to put a rat tang, let alone riveted but i will opt for model with light application - skinning or kitchen use.

Wood to me is still the best in terms of ergo. I can DIM (DO IT MYSELF) but not on bone.
Speaking of that some horns have amazing texture, especially when it's carved. This is a classic example of a high quality khuk handle:

ganga_handle_2.jpg
 
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I personally prefer wood, its not as hard as bone and I find that it doesnt give blisters as readily when chopping

but I think that bone looks snazzier and is probably more durable

assuming that by bone you mean horn...
 
Bone, IMO, isn't as resistant to impact from heavy use as the grain structures inherent in wood, but it definitely looks good!

Stabilization can help a lot, comparatively, but for a working khukri, dense grained wood is the way to go!

BTW, if that's you, George, if you were to get a dealer membership here, I'd get to pimp the hell out of you in Gadgets and Gear without me getting booted for trolling!
 
There are many threads about Horn Vs. wood on this forum....the search function is your friend.:)
( at the top of the forum on the right, you will see a tab that says "search this forum". Just enter your terms and Voila.)

Many say that Wood is better for hard use khukuri.
I find that properly cared for horn is just as durable.
It served the ornery buffalo it came from quite well.
Wood is probably better suited on khukuri that are used in cold climates.
 
Hey Keith!! Yeah, it's me but I'm not selling anything. Guys have always said how amazing the HI khukris are and when I finally started digging I was amazed. I'm hoping to pick up a few. It really looks like they have a soul vs. being mass produced.

It sounds like bone is mainly for looks and wood is for use. I'm really more of a functional-user kind of guy so I will probably steer towards wood.
 
roninsgrips said:
It sounds like bone is mainly for looks and wood is for use. I'm really more of a functional-user kind of guy so I will probably steer towards wood.
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Don't let the looks fool you.
Horn and bone is very tough. I havent broken a horn handle yet and the majority of my collection is Horn.
 
Well, since you're here, you have direct contact with Yangdu in case anything should happen. Of course, if you did manage to break an H.I. khukri, I would be impressed. Or suspicious of steroids!

You could make a mold of the handle, though. Work your magic if the handle ever got dinged. Guaranteed you'd never have another problem!
 
Karda said:
Don't let the looks fool you.
Horn and bone is very tough. I havent broken a horn handle yet and the majority of my collection is Horn.
Click to expand...

I was thinking on the maintenance side - I know how to care for wood, repair it, etc. but I know virtually nothing about bone if it chips how to condition it, etc. I'll use search too.

As Holmesmade mentioned, I doubt the kamis would use a material that wasn't fairly well suited for the task.

I have to confess, I have a super-CAK arriving either today or Friday from Yangdu. I've been lurking for almost two weeks now trying to learn.
 
Hi Roninsgrips,
I was in the same situation not long ago, trying to figure out what I wanted. Originally, I thought I wanted horn for my grips. But I got the same Super CAK by Bhakta Kami with satisal handle and I LOVE it. I then got a Sirupati with horn handle, which is absolutely beautifu. But I think I prefer the wood from the standpoint of stability in the hand. By the way, you won't be able to put the Super CAK down, it's so impressive :)
 
I'm really excited about it. Not sure how I will explain it to my wife, but am selling off some old stuff to cover the bills.
 
Welcome roninsgrips!
Hooflex is probaly best for conditioning horn, some also keep it hydrated with mineral oil. Otherwise the care is much the same as wood. It works much the same as wood, although it does stink when you try to grind or sand it with power tools.
 
Hooflex is a good tip - thank you. I grew up with horses but never put the hoof care and bone handle care together!

Folks, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this.
 
Poke around the other sub-forums, too! The amount of info contained on this site is phenomenal!

Shop talk in the general knife maker's discussion forum could be a great resource for grinders, sanders and other tool supplies. A lot of the ideas I've had were based on stuff I learned here!
 
Holmesmade said:
Poke around the other sub-forums, too! The amount of info contained on this site is phenomenal!

Shop talk in the general knife maker's discussion forum could be a great resource for grinders, sanders and other tool supplies. A lot of the ideas I've had were based on stuff I learned here!
Click to expand...

Will do. Thinking about potential projects for next summer already.
 
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