Hardest wood ?

If you click on 1. Uses at the top of the page in the link it says the wood is used as bearings for axles,one of the hardest woods,etc.
I just wanted to know if I was mistaken as I've always thought Lig Vit was the hardest wood. :confused:

Doug
 
Coolibah is a very hard wood, but not as hard as Lignum Vitae. It is not as dense, hard or heavy. The only other wood that is really close to Lignum Vitae in these areas is African Blackwood.
 
I think Keith is spot on. And I'll add that I think lignum vitae is an excellent choice of wood for a working knife. I have it on a pair of kitchen knives and love the stuff.

Roger
 
Keith Montgomery said:
The only other wood that is really close to Lignum Vitae in these areas is African Blackwood.
Click to expand...
Kamagong is denser than African Blackwood.
 
There are a number of woods as hard and heavy as Lignum.

One of the reasons it gets used so much is the built in lubricating qualities of the wood.

The very hard woods (lignum, snakewood, ebony etc) are good for knife handles as long as you get them DRY first.........this takes years.
Otherwise, they will crack, and oftentimes, they crack anyhow!!!!! :p :confused: :p
 
What i've always enjoyed about Lignum Vitae is the self lubricating properties. You can work it with a wet very fine belt, and it will take on its own finish. Very resistant to moister, and blood in the field, and has a very different color, and grain. Mike
 
tonyccw said:
Kamagong is denser than African Blackwood.
Click to expand...

Can you provide me with a link to a website that has specifications on Kamagong? I know it is a very hard wood, but I have been unable to find much info on it. I have seen photos of furniture made from Kamagong and I find it to be a very beautiful wood.

The density of African Blackwood is approximately 83 pcf. Lignum Vitae is approximately 80 pcf.
 
Where does a Japanese hardwood fit in relation to these? Less, equal or greater than?
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Can you provide me with a link to a website that has specifications on Kamagong? I know it is a very hard wood, but I have been unable to find much info on it. I have seen photos of furniture made from Kamagong and I find it to be a very beautiful wood.
Click to expand...
I had it somewhere, but the site doesn't exist any more. It came in at Specific Gravity of 1.2something for Kamagong. I do know it dulls my wood tools pretty quickly.
Keith Montgomery said:
The density of African Blackwood is approximately 83 pcf. Lignum Vitae is approximately 80 pcf.
Click to expand...
Are you sure? This would make African Blackwood denser than Lignum Vitae.
 
Just wondering where Osage Orange(Hedge) would fit into the equation. :confused: That's some hard and tough wood!
 
Danbo said:
Just wondering where Osage Orange(Hedge) would fit into the equation. :confused: That's some hard and tough wood!
Click to expand...
It's a medium density hardwood, around .8. Which means it still floats. The others listed will all sink. ;)
 
Snakewood is 86lbs cu/ft. I believe it is the densest of hardwoods. Desert ironwood ranks right up there, too.

Eucalyptus is hard, but has a twist problem. It seems like it never stops twisting. I bought some over 10 years ago, dried knife scale size blocks, and flatted them periodically. After 10 years they were still twisting, so I threw them away.

I believe the original purpose here was railroad ties, but the twisted too much.

www.eisenbran.com is a good source for hardwoods. Their catalog used to show wood density.
 
Gene Martin I believe the original purpose here was railroad ties said:
And fence posts.It was too hard to use for framing,building.
It also has a strong interlocking grain.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top