exotic wood source

daveinvegas

daveinvegas

Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
309
Ya'll have probably answered this one a hunnerd times but what is a good source of exotic and pretty wood?
 
Most all the knifemaking suppliers, Ebay and do a search on google for exotic or burlwood. You'll find plenty.
 
I would highly recommend usaknifemaker(dot)com and Tracy Mickley. He can help with exotic wood and pretty much anything else you might need. The service is great and Tracy is a super guy to deal with. :D

-Larry
 
Dave be careful on ebay i just got burned . go to ebay type in bassblueser he has nice reasonably priced stuff cocobolo is nice any of the burls .kellyw
 
I like Gilmer Wood Company in Portland, OR. They carry very nice material and photograph each piece making ordering easy. They specialize in instrument-wood, but carry other sizes as well.
 
Hey Dave, A qucik search on the net can bring up a bunch of excellent dealers, but also beware of the toxic dust that comes from some of this wood. I made pool cues for along time and have seen what can happen to people who dont wear breathing protection. The guy that taught me to make cues got into some cocobolo and he coughed up blood for weeks, like to have killed him, but is not much to worry about when done safe. Also wenge left about 400 million splinters in my hands that I could not see but suddenly my hands started to swell, LOL Good luck with your wood journey!
 
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Exotic Wood Group has nice stuff and you can get it in sizes larger than the typical 5 x1 x 1 1/2. If you want stabilized stuff, Chuck at Alpha Knife Supply has good stuff.
 
Dave:

You really need to contact Dr Jim Hrisoulas..he's right by me (sorta) here in Henderson..He has piles of wood and knows where to get some screaming deals...he can be contacted through his website at www.atar.com. He is really busy right now getting ready for a 7 or 8 weekend show in So. Cal, os if you contact him he may take a while to get back to you but the man is a living legend in bladesmithing.

Now he is, as he puts it a just a "old dog faced soldier" and set in his ways so he can be a bit cantankerous, in a "lovable way"... but that's just Jim...too many years as a Battalion Commander I guess...He's good people, but does value his privacy...I am sure he'd be more than able to help you out.

I pop down there at least twice a month. He has help me a whole bunch..

Jason..
 
Like all things there are the good, the bad and the ugly. ;) Beware of most things on ebay that advertise "stabilized" wood. Having said that, there are some great buys on ebay.

A lot depends on what you are looking for. Steve Schaeffer at Hawaiian Hardwoods has the best curly koa on the planet.

Buzzsaw International on Ebay has wonderful maple of all sorts.

There are some to avoid as well, but we'll keep this positive.


Rob!
 
I regret to say that I cannot recommend Texas Knifemaker's Supply for stabilized or exotic wood. I've ordered from them 4 times now, and have never gotten a complete order... seems they just don't stock what they have in their catalog/website. Same goes for their HT accesories. They're great for kit blades :rolleyes:

Again, sorry to be a downer on that particular company, but that's my experience with them. My best advice is, check with any vendor before ordering, to see if they actually have what you want in stock.

I would check with Alpha first for stabilized wood; seems they keep a close eye on thier inventory and have pics of the actual pieces they sell. Don't forget to look in the KnifeMaking Supply forum here. You never know what might turn up there. I recently bought some very high quality (unstabilized) wood there, from Don Hanson III and Shagnasty. Dang good deals, too.
 
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Don't overlook general hardwood suppliers for the furniture industry or the wood turning crowd. I've gotten quite a bit of nice wood from our local specialty wood supplier, including cocobola, bocote, ziricote, bubinga, shedua, quilted maple, curly maple, and birdseye maple. If you're willing to buy it by the board, you can get some amazing prices per handle. Shopping locally also gives you a chance to look at stuff in person, which sometimes makes a difference.

Peterman Lumber (877) 226-6004 is local to you and might be a good place to look.
 
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Some of the wood companies sell pre-cut exotic woods in larger pieces, like ones for pepper mills. I bought a 3 x 3 x 24 chunk of African Blackwood from Exotic Wood Group. I have also bought some wood from a custom pool cue supply house here in Florida. Most of their stuff is cut inot 1 1/2 inch squares, but a while back, I was able to buy a 2 x 2 x 24 piece of amboyna burl from them and the price ended up being about 60% of what you would pay for stuff cut up into knife handle sized chunks. A warning......unless you have a good table saw or band saw with a high quality blade, cutting exotic hardwoods will be a royal PITA.
 
I used to get wood from McBeath (Cocobolo, Bocote, Lacewood, Bubinga, Goncalo Alves, Tulipwood, Kingwood, Zebrawood, Ebony, etc.) the last time I ordered from them they weren't all that friendly. Kinda put me off. When I first ordered wood from them for 1911 grips I asked for some assorted scraps. I received some really nice pieces. I'd love to deal with them again.
 
You can see some of the wood I got from MacBeath in my photo album (favorite knives).
 
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I get alot from Pool Que Building Material Components, 1 1/2x1 1/2 then rip & plane, nice stuf here. Jerry
 
One should call knife suppliers with their orders. Computers are "new tech" and not as tightly integrated with most suppliers, it's just a way of life in the knifemaking world.

Tracy is just about the only person who has worked really hard to get his inventory and ordering system up to "modern" standards, and he has experience from one of the most successful companies on the planet.

It wasn't that long ago that I remember having to order everything over the phone through catalogs, so I don't mind getting a general idea from the internet and then giving them a call.

Dave - For wood, check with Arizona Ironwood, Alpha Knife Supply, USA Knifemaker and Pop's. You must call Pop if you want to know what he has in stock, but he'll give you some of the best deals you can find, it's worth your time.

James_Terrio said:
I regret to say that I cannot recommend Texas Knifemaker's Supply for stabilized or exotic wood. I've ordered from them 4 times now, and have never gotten a complete order... seems they just don't stock what they have in their catalog/website. Same goes for their HT accesories. They're great for kit blades :rolleyes:

Again, sorry to be a downer on that particular company, but that's my experience with them. My best advice is, check with any vendor before ordering, to see if they actually have what you want in stock.

I would check with Alpha first for stabilized wood; seems they keep a close eye on thier inventory and have pics of the actual pieces they sell. Don't forget to look in the KnifeMaking Supply forum here. You never know what might turn up there. I recently bought some very high quality (unstabilized) wood there, from Don Hanson III and Shagnasty. Dang good deals, too.
Click to expand...
 
I should have asked this in my original post but I have also been looking for a source for some nice Texas Mesquite. Any ideas?
 
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