Gorse handled knives?

[Tyson A Wright]

I just read a poem that makes reference to gorse wood as "good for cutlery". I don't recall any gorse-handled knives, though. Does anyone have gorse knives they'd care to share?

 

[Will Power]

I suspect the poet is using the word Gorse either artistically or is mistaken...Suppose she wrote 'and sugars rally, in the BROOM and the flowers' Might sound odd as the English word Broom usually means the sweeping tool, brush. But it is also a shrub with yellow flowers that is often confused with Gorse. Gorse has very spiny leaves making it an impenetrable thicket, its yellow flowers are for many months of the year. Broom lacks spines, has yellow flowers of fragrance and its wood is slightly scented and used for tool handles.

I have an Au Sabot from France with Broom shrub scales, in French it's called Genet (the 2nd 'e' has a circonflexe accent- like a triangle hat, my keyboard won't do it...) Kind of striped but a bit unremarkable, but then it is for tools not dressy stuff!



Here's a link from a French plant nursery with a picture of the Broom shrub and its Latin name and correct French spelling. Without the circonflexe accent it means a species of Wild Cat....

Genêt (cytisus) : Culture, Variétés et Floraison

Le genêt ou Cytisus est un formidable arbuste à fleurs. Entretien, plantation et taille du genêt, voici tous les conseils

www.jardiner-malin.fr

Thanks, Will

 

[screened porch]

I was thinking they'd have to use the root, like briar pipes, but common ulex (gorse) gets 2-3 meters high. That should give a stem thick enough for a handle. Or maybe Will's right and the reputation of gorse was meant for broom.

Anyway, short answer, I don't have any gorse-handled knives. Or broom.

 

[meako]

I'm with you Will @Will Power gorse to me eans any prickly briar or blackberry wood...could be wrong....but yes thinking about it the roots are probably good hard gnarly timber...looking into it further...I'm liking the whole idea...
Plus if I'm not mistaken it kills Vampires.

 

[waynorth]

I have an Au Sabot from France with Broom shrub scales,

The plant does not appear to produce wood substantial enough for knife handles!!!???
Enlighten me please, Will!!

 

[Bigburly912]

I’ve seen a seller with hand carved gorse wood forks and spoons. Stuff is so gnarly and warped I’d say it would be hard to find good pieces for knife handles. Doable I’m sure.

 

[bladesmith3]

stabilizing can work magic on scales.

 

[bladesmith3]

i found this pic of gorse wood handled knife and sheath on google. different for sure

 

[Will Power]

The plant does not appear to produce wood substantial enough for knife handles!!!???
Enlighten me please, Will!!

I'll make an attempt Horticulture interests me but Botany is a science I've only a surface knowledge of. Both Gorse & Broom belong to the same family 'Genista' and we can thank the great Swedish scientist Linnaeus for classifying plants and animals with Latin names so we don't have to rely on inaccurate national translations . So there are many wild and cultivated types in the Genista family, sizes vary too.

Gorse has been used in Britain, the roots and stumps, as firewood, it's very inflammable as it covers the ground and likes drier places. Broom tends to have longer stems, no thorns and some of them used for tool handles or artefacts-it has some medicinal properties too . A French site claimed that Broom (Genet) can be used as a preparation for protecting Sheep from Adder bite in former times. Interestingly, it claimed that Broom was used in England for making the handles of brooms, hence the name and is connected to the word Besom (another type of sweeping tool) from Old Germanic.

Here an article says the stems can be used as tool handles, so why not knives too? It's not in blocks like hardwoods but more pole like.

Traditional Uses for Broom Bush Stems in Tool Making​

Traditional broom bush stems are harvested and processed to create durable, flexible handles and bristles for tools such as brooms, brushes, and small implements. The stems are cut after the plant finishes flowering but before the first hard frost, when the fibers have matured enough to be strong yet still pliable.

Selection hinges on stem diameter and condition. Choose straight, disease‑free shoots about 1–2 cm thick; avoid overly woody stems that snap easily and green shoots that lack tensile strength.

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The knife I showed with Broom slabs can also be had in Juniper, Box and Horn, I believe. As I say, it's OK but not a very inspiring wood, seems tough enough though. Plus it is certainly good in the hand and makes for a credible pleasant work-knife.

Thanks, Will

 

[Tyson A Wright]

I suspect the poet is using the word Gorse either artistically or is mistaken...Suppose she wrote 'and sugars rally, in the BROOM and the flowers' Might sound odd as the English word Broom usually means the sweeping tool, brush. But it is also a shrub with yellow flowers that is often confused with Gorse. Gorse has very spiny leaves making it an impenetrable thicket, its yellow flowers are for many months of the year. Broom lacks spines, has yellow flowers of fragrance and its wood is slightly scented and used for tool handles.

I have an Au Sabot from France with Broom shrub scales, in French it's called Genet (the 2nd 'e' has a circonflexe accent- like a triangle hat, my keyboard won't do it...) Kind of striped but a bit unremarkable, but then it is for tools not dressy stuff!



Here's a link from a French plant nursery with a picture of the Broom shrub and its Latin name and correct French spelling. Without the circonflexe accent it means a species of Wild Cat....

Genêt (cytisus) : Culture, Variétés et Floraison

Le genêt ou Cytisus est un formidable arbuste à fleurs. Entretien, plantation et taille du genêt, voici tous les conseils

www.jardiner-malin.fr

Thanks, Will

Thanks for your comments, and that's a beautiful knife!

 

[waynorth]

The knife I showed with Broom slabs can also be had in Juniper, Box and Horn, I believe. As I say, it's OK but not a very inspiring wood, seems tough enough though.

Thanks, Will

Thanks for digging up that info, Will!!! Most interesting!!

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I didn’t want to learn anything today.

Ya’ll tricked me…