Well, I was thinking about starting to carve up a handle for my becker necker when it arrives out of locally scavengable wood. I was thinking something like a maple branch of the right diameter would work good. But here in the U.P. we have all sorts of trees all over from oaks to birches to pines. Does anybody have any particular recommendations for a fairly decent wood to work with that might look alright if I don't butcher it?
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Good, "findable" handle woods
- Thread starter Buck268
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Out of your choices, I like the oak.
Find some with good grain and stain or not, looks good both ways.
I kinda like the natural look with an oil type finish.
With the black Becker blade, a dark finish would probably look better.
Just go ahead and try some different types of wood, you never know what you'll like till it's on the knife
Find some with good grain and stain or not, looks good both ways.
I kinda like the natural look with an oil type finish.
With the black Becker blade, a dark finish would probably look better.
Just go ahead and try some different types of wood, you never know what you'll like till it's on the knife
Yeah, I'm looking forward to starting this little project, can't wait till the knife gets here though!
Do you think it would work out alright just to split the sticks in half to form two semi-circles to work with? Or would that promote splitting of the wood later? I've never really done much wood work, per say, though I have cut a lot of it...
Do you think it would work out alright just to split the sticks in half to form two semi-circles to work with? Or would that promote splitting of the wood later? I've never really done much wood work, per say, though I have cut a lot of it...
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I am not wood expert, but I think that maple is harder, and might make a more durable handle.
Bill DeShivs
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Any wood you use will need to be dried.
Bill
Bill
Strange but I never hear of anyone using Teak. Having lived most of my life in St.Augustine I've naturally found myself around a lot of yachters. Teak is very hard and as is evidentaly used as a deck material it seems to me that it would make a great handle material.
Yeah, I had the same thought about Teak, but then I realized I'd have to buy it and that would defeat my "find it, make it, tweak it" prodject 
Yeah, I know they'll have to be dried... unless I find a nice dead maple limb (I'm leaning towards maple at this point).
Yeah, I know they'll have to be dried... unless I find a nice dead maple limb (I'm leaning towards maple at this point).
Yeah, I had the same thought about Teak, but then I realized I'd have to buy it and that would defeat my "find it, make it, tweak it" prodject
Yeah, I know they'll have to be dried... unless I find a nice dead maple limb (I'm leaning towards maple at this point).
Actually if you know anyone who lives on the coast near a yacht builder teak can be had virtually free in scrap.
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Hickory and oak.
You can get plain oak molding from your local hardware store in 10' long, 1/4" thick, 2" wide sections. you can easily trace your patern onto them and cut them out; a little sanding and light shaping and your finished. Maybee some checkering. Put some wood sealant on it to keep it from shrinking/swelling and your set. It may not look like a $1000 custom, but it will be very durrable and last a long time. If it DOES break or ware out, youv got enough material left to make 6 more sets
You can get plain oak molding from your local hardware store in 10' long, 1/4" thick, 2" wide sections. you can easily trace your patern onto them and cut them out; a little sanding and light shaping and your finished. Maybee some checkering. Put some wood sealant on it to keep it from shrinking/swelling and your set. It may not look like a $1000 custom, but it will be very durrable and last a long time. If it DOES break or ware out, youv got enough material left to make 6 more sets
I have done my share of wood working so let see if I can help. Maple comes in hard and soft. The benefit of Maple over Oak is it is a closed grain wood. The Oak has a tendancy to splinter because of the open grain. The Teak has a natural oil which is why it is used for Boats it helps with rot. Not sure how much trouble the natural oils would be for a knife handle. If you go with Oak try to find a knot in the tree it is called burl. It will be tighter and less prone to splinter. It will all need to be dried to at least 6% moisture content.
hi when i am out scavenging for new knife timber i usually start at the local woods any fruit tree is quite good just finished one made of holly very nice wood i always use dead standing trees or bushes never green to much hassle they would have to be seasoned or kilned
I use mesquite...it's what we have growing locally.
DeShivs is right...it must be dried and to correctly do so it will take a minimum of a year, depending on the thickness you're starting with.
All fruitwoods are nice. Maple might be slightly harder than oak, but certainly not tougher.
If you have a hardwood store up near you, go there. You'll find Padauk, Teak, Cocobolo, Zebrawood, Bloodwood, Irocote, Bacote, Ebony, various Rosewoods, Lignum Vitae, and the list goes on.......AND, it'll be dry and, after a couple of three weeks in your shop, ready to use.
EDIT: Look for pallets. I collect them down here because I cut them up, split them, and use them for kindling in our woodstove. I have actually saved many pieces of pallet lumber because I've found spalted and sometimes burled wood in them. Somtimes it's hickory or something unidentifiable, but there occasionally some very fine pieces of wood in there that'll catch my eye. Being a woodworker, I look for stuff like that, but only recently have I started to think about handle material for knives (hence the mesquite scales on my RAT-3)
DeShivs is right...it must be dried and to correctly do so it will take a minimum of a year, depending on the thickness you're starting with.
All fruitwoods are nice. Maple might be slightly harder than oak, but certainly not tougher.
If you have a hardwood store up near you, go there. You'll find Padauk, Teak, Cocobolo, Zebrawood, Bloodwood, Irocote, Bacote, Ebony, various Rosewoods, Lignum Vitae, and the list goes on.......AND, it'll be dry and, after a couple of three weeks in your shop, ready to use.
EDIT: Look for pallets. I collect them down here because I cut them up, split them, and use them for kindling in our woodstove. I have actually saved many pieces of pallet lumber because I've found spalted and sometimes burled wood in them. Somtimes it's hickory or something unidentifiable, but there occasionally some very fine pieces of wood in there that'll catch my eye. Being a woodworker, I look for stuff like that, but only recently have I started to think about handle material for knives (hence the mesquite scales on my RAT-3)
nozh2002
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You may check some wood here
http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/wood.html
I personaly like Lignum Vitae more - it just feel nice in hand, but it does not too colorful like Cocobolo. And this wood oily - no need to dry as well as no need to oil it. Some of them used in nuclear submarines for main engine to make it scielent, exactely because it is oily. Cocobolo and Lignum Vitae are oily naturally - also teak but it is too sooft. From othe hand hard wood may be brittle in terms of toughness Zebrawood is the best IMHO.
Best place to find wood - floor shops, they have sometimes very good cuts for handle pretty inexpensive.
Key to exceptional look - sanding to 2000 grind sandpaper + Carnauba wax (from Leather shop).
Thanks, Vassili.
http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/wood.html
I personaly like Lignum Vitae more - it just feel nice in hand, but it does not too colorful like Cocobolo. And this wood oily - no need to dry as well as no need to oil it. Some of them used in nuclear submarines for main engine to make it scielent, exactely because it is oily. Cocobolo and Lignum Vitae are oily naturally - also teak but it is too sooft. From othe hand hard wood may be brittle in terms of toughness Zebrawood is the best IMHO.
Best place to find wood - floor shops, they have sometimes very good cuts for handle pretty inexpensive.
Key to exceptional look - sanding to 2000 grind sandpaper + Carnauba wax (from Leather shop).
Thanks, Vassili.
Actually, I'm pretty fond of Red Lauan, but thats also quite soft. Now, Sycamore has a slick looking pattern on the radial plane, and a not-quite-as-sweet but still nice pattern on the transverse plain. I'm considering finding some of that stuff, unless somebody knows something I don't?
Sycamore's good. Luan is what we call Phillipine mahogany, only it's MUCH softer and even fuzzy and stringy.
If you're into figured woods, Lacewood Plane is another nice one. Certain cuts of Beech can be beautiful. Spalted maple is super nice (ANY spalted wood is nice). Quatersawn white oak is beautiful, but I can't imagine it looking good in a knife handle. Any burled wood is nice. Look for burls and crotches in any tree you come upon at the very base of the tree underground and crotches in any major branch or trunk deviation. If you know anyone looking to remove a tree....start thinking wood for scales
Vassily might have a pretty good idea: looking for off-cuts at a hardwood flooring shop. I can hear them telling you "Sure. Over in that pile or in the dumpster. Take whatever you want". Problem is, you won;t find many exotics but you'll get plenty more than you can use.
If you're into figured woods, Lacewood Plane is another nice one. Certain cuts of Beech can be beautiful. Spalted maple is super nice (ANY spalted wood is nice). Quatersawn white oak is beautiful, but I can't imagine it looking good in a knife handle. Any burled wood is nice. Look for burls and crotches in any tree you come upon at the very base of the tree underground and crotches in any major branch or trunk deviation. If you know anyone looking to remove a tree....start thinking wood for scales
Vassily might have a pretty good idea: looking for off-cuts at a hardwood flooring shop. I can hear them telling you "Sure. Over in that pile or in the dumpster. Take whatever you want". Problem is, you won;t find many exotics but you'll get plenty more than you can use.
Teak can be a little rougher on your tools. It tends to have some sand and silicates in it. I cannot remember if it forms the silicates in the wood as it grows or if it encapsulates it from the soil it grows in.
I was the fortunate recipient of a piece of teak from a retired Navy officer. It came off the deck of a battle ship. He told me to be careful when working with it because there may be miscellaneous shrapnel in it .
I like maple and sycamore, birch is also a very nice hard wood. I've done several handles using bamboo flooring (make sure you get the solid type, some have soft cores).
Ric
I was the fortunate recipient of a piece of teak from a retired Navy officer. It came off the deck of a battle ship. He told me to be careful when working with it because there may be miscellaneous shrapnel in it
.I like maple and sycamore, birch is also a very nice hard wood. I've done several handles using bamboo flooring (make sure you get the solid type, some have soft cores).
Ric