Have any of you used Manzanita for a knife handle?

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BallewBlade

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Oct 10, 2011
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Just wondering if any one has used manzanita for a handle and how well it worked, and maybe how hard or easy it is to work. I love the rich dark reds, it seems like really dense wood, and there is an abundance of around where I live. Thanks :D
 
Ballew many of the manzanitas here in our Peoples Republic of Kalifornia are protected. Yeah I know they grow like weeds everywhere, (grew up in Santa Maria just up the road from ya). But there ya go. Just a warning on using that wood. I have been told there are some types that aren't protected but I have never researched it as it didn't seem worth the risk to me. Just as soon not have the wood police looking over my shoulder.
 
Manzanita burl can make some really nice handle material.
But.........it is difficult to find good pieces without a bunch of cracks.
If you come across a good piece just make sure it is dry before you use it.
An oil finish really brings out the rich red/purple colors and adds depth to the figure.

Mike is a sneaky one.
He comes out here and gets with my boss to snatch the good stuff before I even know we have it.
One time he showed me some ash with a lot of blacklines asking if I had any like it.
I answered, I wish, where did you find that?
He said, I got it from Harvey (my boss)
 
I have used it before. As Mark said, it is difficult to find pieces large enough that are free of cracks. If you dry it really slow you can get one maybe two blocks out of a root. Then you have to cut it. Manzanita is full of sand and rocks. Had one root that had a rock the size of a golf ball right in the middle. I gave up on it for that very reason. Madrone burl is a little easier to find and looks pretty much the same.
 
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