Buck Custom Shop

sawgrass

sawgrass

Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
406
I just received word that Buck's supplier of indigo royalwood handles and cherry handles has burned down and there are no supplies of either wood with no intention of anyone making those handles again. I have the indigo royalwood in both the 110 and 112 and the cherry in the 112, but my order for a 110 will not be filled. She said that both of those options will be removed from the Buck Custom site.
 
Darn…I had been thinking of one of those customs with the cherry covers.

Thanks for the heads up!
 
Stumps said:
Darn…I had been thinking of one of those customs with the cherry covers.

Thanks for the heads up!
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I have a 112 with nickel silver bolsters with the cherry and I had a 110 ordered 3 days ago to match and was called just a few minutes ago. Seems like they would have had the handle material on site for a 3 day old order, but, seems they didn't.
 
This may put an end to the Chairman Series also? I think those use the cherry wood.
 
Glad I got my Knives when I did and all 4 of them are asleep as I type (( they are keeping one the Queen Safes company.! ))
Just hope nobody was hurt or worse ~~ as I have not heard but I am going to check and see.!**
 
I spoke with Melisa and she was just trying to notify anyone with indigo or cherry custom knives on order. It seems to me that Buck will need to come up with other options in order to keep their custom knife division alive but she said there is no one to produce the indigo or cherry.
 
Dymondwood is manufactured by Rutland Plywood Corp. in Vermont. The factory was destroyed by a fire in late August 2014. I believe all laminated wood handles made by Buck are Dymondwood. This might affect more than just Customs. I do not know if there is another manufacturer of this type of product.

RUTLAND TOWN, Vt. -
Investigators spent Thursday combing through what is left of the Rutland Plywood Corporation. Investigators, looking at two separate fires, think they know why one fire started and say neither fire is suspicious.

Looking back at what was his place of employment, Edward Cormea was in disbelief. "Whew, that's a big loss," said Cormea. Cormea and his 170 co-workers from the Rutland Plywood Corporation are now unable to work. Seeing their business go up in flames was shocking."This is the only income I had. This is what we were getting by on, so I have no idea what we're going to do now," Cormea said.

Gov. Peter Shumlin said in a statement: “My heart goes out to Rutland Plywood and the 170 employees who lost their jobs in this morning's fire."

Rutland Plywood makes equipment for many companies including Burton Snowboards, Martin Guitar and gun companies like Altamont.

......................
 
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Strangely, Melissa from Buck just told me today. I have had knife orders with cherry for 2 days and she took the orders over the phone. I don't know why they would just discover this afternoon that they have no cherry or indigo scales. She did tell me that the supplier that burned only supplied the cherry and indigo, that a different supplier supplied the American Oak and the Walnut. Because of matching sets, I am disappointed that they would sell me knives that they did not have scales for. Seems a strange business practice to me.
 
I can't speak for Buck, but probably everywhere I've ever worked, there have been delays, for different reasons, in getting important information to people who need it. I'd expect they were concerned about this right from the start.
 
I spent last summer just about ten miles south of that factory in VT.
I talked to a friend this morning that said it's been about two or three weeks ago since it burned.
There was talk soon after the fire of trying to get started over again, but they are now telling those 170 former employees to move on, they have no plans of reopening.
It was also a business that trained inmates from the local jail.
 
I wonder how Buck will tackle this. What other types of wood can they get from American soil and not be too costly?
 
sawgrass said:
I have a 112 with nickel silver bolsters with the cherry and I had a 110 ordered 3 days ago to match and was called just a few minutes ago. Seems like they would have had the handle material on site for a 3 day old order, but, seems they didn't.
Click to expand...

Where the heck is everyone getting nickel bolsters on 112s? I don't see it.
 
csisland said:
I wonder how Buck will tackle this. What other types of wood can they get from American soil and not be too costly?
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Cherry isn't hard to come by. I'm a wood nerd but never heard of indigo.

There's Bois D'Arc (Osage Orange or Hedge Apple to you Yankees.). It's a very striking hardwood.

All manner of figured maple. Hickory, pecan, mesquite. All dirt cheap and rock-hard woods. I love the creamy look of hickory.

I'm surprised they don't use more fruit woods like apple. Since the trees are raised for fruit rather than lumber (which are opposite goals), the wood is usually inexpensive because the trees only yield small pieces.

Back in the day when a carpenter had a "till" of handsaws over his bench and more in his tool totes, the handles were made of fruit wood.
 
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