Correct terminology question ?? ... Wooden handle related

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BrotherJim

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REF: Area circled in picture. The handle is Boxwood.

What is it referred to as, when in finished wood, it can be seen where small branches had once grown but the area is now smooth and finished?
I know there is a term for it but I am drawing a blank. Only thing that comes to mind is "inclusions" but that is generally a term associated with rock and mineral attributes I think.
The term I've heard used and trying to remember is not "knot" ... or maybe it is, and I'm just making it harder than it has to be. Thanks !!!

Kwhk8DN.jpg
 
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I'd call it a knot...
A burl is different....in the sense that a branch is cut off leaving the knot....if the branch falls or snaps off...the knot is like a scar and the resulting scar tissue is burl...as far as I know.
 
I believe a burl is a point of rapid growth in a tree, usually in response to disease. I think of burls as compound knots- they usually feature a cluster of small branches in the structure.

since I see no ripples in the wood grain around that area, I’d call those knots. I believe boxwood trees are rather dense in foliage bearing limbs, so I might expect to see a cluster of knots like that.

beautiful knife! Love the handle.
 
Thanks guys !!!
I guess that area is a small cluster of knots. There are several other unique spots on this handle where small branches had begun to grow before harvesting.
This Nontron handle is a bit more gnarly than most boxwood Nontrons I've seen pictures of (and other Boxwood handled knives) and this handle does have quite a bit of character.
The dark veins and swirls, I'd initially attributed to burnish/heat during finish, I now think may actually be darker veins and swirls in the grain structure, but may be wrong.
At the end of the day, I'd rather have a handle like this than flawless Boxwood with uniform color and grain, for sure.
 
Boxwood tends to grow with irregular patterns. It’s actually technically a shrub that is tree like. The heartwood can have fungus that leads to splalted wood of sorts. Very expensive material actually, and rarely found in larger sizes due to the trees being smaller in stature. I have a few boxwood trees but mine are like 8” tall bonsai. They grow quick! I am pretty sure (while I’m prattling on about boxwoods) that they use them to make interesting shaped hedges.
But anyhow it looks like a check, or a knot ;)
 
As a side note, the Boxwood used by Nontron is said to be 40 to 50yrs old and dried for a minimum of 4yrs to harden after harvest.
Not ancient but just enough time for the Boxwood shrub/tree to reach a workable size and grain density I guess.
 
BrotherJim said:
REF: Area circled in picture. The handle is Boxwood.

What is it referred to as, when in finished wood, it can be seen where small branches had once grown but the area is now smooth and finished?
I know there is a term for it but I am drawing a blank. Only thing that comes to mind is "inclusions" but that is generally a term associated with rock and mineral attributes I think.
The term I've heard used and trying to remember is not "knot" ... or maybe it is, and I'm just making it harder than it has to be. Thanks !!!

Kwhk8DN.jpg
Click to expand...
When I worked in a furniture factory, we called those pin knots.

O.;B.
 
Good to see such an attractive usage for boxwood.

We have some boxwood shrubs in our yard and I'd saved some small pieces of one of them, when we'd cut it back a few years ago. Very dense, hard & fine-grained wood, and our cuttings have a light buttery yellow hue to them. Every time I look at the small pieces I'd saved, I wonder how they might be used for craftwork & other things. Now I've seen one very nice example. :thumbsup:
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Good to see such an attractive usage for boxwood.

We have some boxwood shrubs in our yard and I'd saved some small pieces of one of them, when we'd cut it back a few years ago. Very dense, hard & fine-grained wood, and our cuttings have a light buttery yellow hue to them. Every time I look at the small pieces I'd saved, I wonder how they might be used for craftwork & other things. Now I've seen one very nice example. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
It’s popular for spoons and spatulas too. Gonna take mine awhile to get that big :)
871A4537-C904-4B33-8D95-F976594C2A17.jpeg
 
BrotherJim said:
As a side note, the Boxwood used by Nontron is said to be 40 to 50yrs old and dried for a minimum of 4yrs to harden after harvest.
Not ancient but just enough time for the Boxwood shrub/tree to reach a workable size and grain density I guess.
Click to expand...
I can see the reason for waiting a few years after cutting, before using it. One of the small pieces I'd saved developed some checking (longitudinal cracks) after a couple years or so, as the wood dried and shrunk. It was always very dense and extremely hard, even from the day we cut it - that aspect is what fascinated me about the wood and why I saved some pieces. At least where I live in the desert southwest, it's very dry here and green wood always suffers for it with shrinkage & checking, after cutting it. The piece pictured below was a very short 'stub' cut close to the ground, after we'd cut all the bushy stuff directly above it. Obviously didn't get much length out of this cutting,

( Edited to add: The piece below is from a bush that was maybe ~ 25 years old or so, when cut. This was among the thickest parts of it. )
HVBSyrv.jpg
 
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