Cedar for a knife handle?

C

crbarnes

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May 12, 2013
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Earlier I decided to cut up an old log from a cedar tree I cut down which has been sitting in my garage for about 5 years, to use it for firewood, when I noticed it had a pretty interesting grain. Cut it up and got some great looking/feeling blocks + plenty of scraps. My question is, does anybody use cedar for knife handles? If not, is there any specific reason that it's not suitable for handles? Pics here: http://imgur.com/a/Pz02e
Thanks!
 
There was a thread about this exact subject just a little while ago. Would have to search for it.

Cedar is one of those woods that would need stabilizing but I cant remember if it takes it well or not. Have to ask Mark or someone.
 
Cedar can be very pretty when used in furniture or "closet blocks", however, since it is usually really "soft" wood, it usually doesn't do well on "working" knife handles.

I may be wrong, and perhaps the know-all-be-all will enlighten us.

One good thing is......... It usually smells good when you sand it a bit.

Robert
 
I figured there was some reason it's not used on account that I've never seen a cedar handle before, glad to know it. I'll probably end up using them as practice blocks for shaping, I'm pretty new to making. Thanks!
 
I have tried stabilizing Western Red Cedar and it took stabilizing well, but weeped for about a month because of the oils in the wood.
A simple guide for handle materials is if you can make a noticeable dent in the wood with your thumbnail it is probably not hard enough for a working knife.
Just depends on how much abuse you think the knife will be getting over it's lifetime.
 
Western red Cedar is responsible for more instances of asthma (in the UK) than all the other timbers combined
 
8729163067_d3ecd530a0.jpg
[/url] Bk14 finished by creakybonespics, on Flickr[/IMG]

I rehandled a BK14 with some eastern red cedar heartwood. It is a little soft, but the heartwood is pretty, and a couple of coats of helmsman spar urethane keep it protected.
 
i used stablized ceder burl now and then(and i have more i need to send out ) first batch weeped like hell for months but its a good looking wood so i deal with it
im hoping that the new batch i have done will weep out faster
 
Cedar is a very soft wood, A friend of mine tried to make a handle out of it and it was aweful. It dents easy and even after being stabalized it cracked and was wilting with a aweful color coming up from sun and oils. I would stay away if I were you.
 
crbarnes said:
Earlier I decided to cut up an old log from a cedar tree I cut down which has been sitting in my garage for about 5 years, to use it for firewood, when I noticed it had a pretty interesting grain. Cut it up and got some great looking/feeling blocks + plenty of scraps. My question is, does anybody use cedar for knife handles? If not, is there any specific reason that it's not suitable for handles? Pics here: http://imgur.com/a/Pz02e
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Im going to try fire hardening one, guess ill see.
 
An observation: it "looks like" from your pix, that your cedar had some infection/spalting/pourus when you cut/stored it. Add that to the fact that cedar is s-o-f-t as handle material goes and I'd say it's a good candidate for the fireplace. You can always try out a piece w/wood hardner (Minwax brand) and see how that flies. If you do that, it helps to have the scales/handle really close to how it will be finished as the wood hardner can only soak in so much.

m
 
anvilring said:
An observation: it "looks like" from your pix, that your cedar had some infection/spalting/pourus when you cut/stored it. Add that to the fact that cedar is s-o-f-t as handle material goes and I'd say it's a good candidate for the fireplace. You can always try out a piece w/wood hardner (Minwax brand) and see how that flies. If you do that, it helps to have the scales/handle really close to how it will be finished as the wood hardner can only soak in so much.

m
Click to expand...
Yea that guys cedar looks rough. I agree, possibly a wood hardener .
 
I have used eastern red cedar with good results. Here's a pic of one:

20180728_080256_zpsm1mwxdd4.jpg


This one was made for a friend from a very old "tobacco stick" he salvaged from a Maryland barn. These sticks are used to suspend the tobacco leaves inside a barn for drying. And the wood in this case was easily 100 years old. So it had undoubtedly been "age stabilized" -- if that's possible -- when I got to it. Anyway, the photo above was taken about 2 years after I finished the knife, and my friend reports all is well and he's loving the knife for his mushroom harvesting forays.
 
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UMMMM …. you guys know this is a five year old conversation …. don't you?

Scott, welcome to Bladeforums. When finding a thread in a search or roaming around, look at the date of the posts.
 
Relevant ... perhaps? Current ... no.

Comments and suggestions on a knife that was finished years ago are useless.

The best way to bring up the subject in reference to a knife you are making is to start a new thread and link the old one for any info or photos that may be of use.
 
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