First time wood user questions

T

Taximanny

Joined
Jul 27, 2015
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I usually use micarta but have an interest in wood.
The idea is to use g10 liners with a wood glued to top.

As I look thru wood scales some say stabilized and some don't.
Does all wood get stabilized ?
Some of USA knife maker wood scales does not say.
Like the dessert ironwood, does this particular type not need stabilized ??
Also some of the burls ??

What do you suggest for a newbie in wood selection along with what woods don't need stabilized if any?
Thanks
 
I use mostly native hardwoods..Up here in new England...I find Beech, Maple & I'm liking cherry wood Burls...Look around...I really like Ebony if I'm buying wood..I have used coco-bola old stuff I bought years ago not the Brazilian rosewoods I see offered now..I've split Mule deer antler & moose as well w the band saw..Lots of stuff can make really nice knife handles..The varnish or oil finish is the tricky part you can ovoid by buying stabilized woods...It is a trade off free stuff & more work getting a top notch finish..Desert Ironwood is expensive stuff...Play around w some less expensive grades till you know the woods better..Would you like some samples to try to finish? Mike in Ct
 
Also... Is 1/8" maple over 1/8" g10 stable enough to work with.
Meaning is there a minimum working thickness in stabilized wood?
 
Hellspawn posted a huge writeup on handle woods a few weeks ago. Try searching for it. If its stabilize then it usually will be advertised as such. Rosewoods, bocote, cocobolo, ironwood, ebony are some woods that don't have to be stabilized because they are naturally oily. I usually buy 1/4" scales for most knives because I like my han. Also, I use the .060" to .090" g10 for liners.dles a little thinner but I would say that's the minimum on a normal full tang fixed blade
 
Did somebody say wood? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...dles-*updated*

Matt is right. Stabalized woods are softer woods that are pumped full of resins to make them more like a hard plastic. Exotic woods like cocobolo, kingwood, ebony, bocote and bubinga do not need stabilization.

And Mike, what ever they are calling brazallian, isn't. Brazallian rosewood is one of the most expensive woods today, sometimes even beating out grade A ebony and snakewood. What they have is probably Honduras or east Indian rosewood.
 
A little of topic but in the guitar world a guitar with a Brazilian rosewood back can fetch up to $15,000. It's also very well regulated and is one reason the Feds shut down Gibson guitars a while back. I'm sure it would make a beautiful handle though.
hellspawn415 said:
Did somebody say wood? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...dles-*updated*

Matt is right. Stabalized woods are softer woods that are pumped full of resins to make them more like a hard plastic. Exotic woods like cocobolo, kingwood, ebony, bocote and bubinga do not need stabilization.

And Mike, what ever they are calling brazallian, isn't. Brazallian rosewood is one of the most expensive woods today, sometimes even beating out grade A ebony and snakewood. What they have is probably Honduras or east Indian rosewood.
Click to expand...
 
A first time user? I gotta warn you... My first cut was a big slab of maple, man...
Now I've spent hundreds of dollars on premade scales, and blocks from the hardwood store.
It's no exaggeration that I've had to trim my food budget because my wood habit cut into that paycheck a little too much.
So just be careful man, perhaps I'm just addictive by nature but be sure to use moderation when using wood.
 
Thanks for the info and warnings everyone.
I decided on maple burl dyed red and black for the first project.
I also got black g10 liners in .090.
Along with some black paper 3/8 for the front 1/4 of the handle.
Gonna try to miter the paper and wood together.on top of the g10 liner.

It will be my first approach at glueing up all materials. To make scales.
Figure go big,,, or well you know.
 
Gendry, If you ever need a new dealer for your habit, Im going home in a few week and i got a little pile of wood to mill up ;)
 
..... Stabalized (sic) woods are softer woods that are pumped full of resins to make them more like a hard plastic......

That isn't exactly so. As Chuck pointed out, many hard woods as well as exotics are stabilized to cut down on shrink/warp as well as to allow a good polish without any finish. Softer woods are also stabilized to harden as well as make polishable.
 
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