Industrial Micarta

I like it! If you sand and round of the sides of the block, you will see how a different cut will look (should give you that more simetrical, peeling layers look). Cross cutting diagonally, tapering front/back on the cross cut you did, should give you a fishbone/herring look.
 
Fixall said:
Looks like a nice natural canvas phenolic. It could be from any number of producers. There were/are well over a dozen different producers of phenolic composites/plastics, and without a label, it's anyone's guess. Judging by the inconsistent pressing, it's probably not Westinghouse/International Paper, GE, Spaulding, or one of the other really big players. They all use/used a ridiculous amount of pressure to press their phenolics, which made/makes for a more uniform weave.

Regardless, it's really nice looking material with a wonderful patina. It should make some darn nice handles.

Judging by the patina, it looks like it has some age to it. I'm guessing they swap out their pads somewhat often... But if there's a chance that it could be a REALLY old pad (like 1970's or before), be careful with it. A lot of the old industrial phenolics that were used in high friction applications had not only graphite added on a regular basis, but also asbestos.

For what it's worth, here's how I handle cutting phenolics:

Really valuable stuff (like ivorite, or rag) gets cut on the bandsaw with a Timber Wolf thin kerf blade. The blades DO NOT last long, but for the high value stuff, it's worth it.

For paper, linen, canvas, I use a table saw with a zero clearance insert, a Grr-ripper pushblock, and a Norske 7-1/4" or 8-1/2" CIRCULAR saw blade (Diablo does a good job too). I use a 7-1/4" blade for material up to 1" thick, and the 8-1/2" blade for material up to 2" thick.

I also use the table saw to cut glass. I use a 4.5" - 5" super thin kerf, diamond tile saw blade on the table saw for that.

Saves a TON of money, and makes for really accurate cuts.
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Thanks for all of the information! The gentleman who gave me the micarta left a phone number, I'll reach out and see if he knows how old the pad might be.

I like the idea of using the table saw for this, the band saw wanted to wander a lot as I was cutting. I think the only thin kerf I have is pretty old, probably time for a new one.
 
For resawing and cutting slabs into blocks, use a 3/4" or 1" wide bandsaw blade (the widest your saw will take). You don't need or want a thin kerf blade.
 
I took a better look at the image. Looks like canvas micarta.

I got a 12"X24"X2" block of black canvas micarta from my scrapyard a while back. IIRC, I paid $20.
I called him up a few weeks later after trying some to ask if he had any more. He said he had a huge block in a brown the size of a tabletop and a bunch of odd size pieces. I went over to the peninsula where his yard is to get it and when I got there, he said a fellow with a big machine shop had just bought every piece he had. I checked back regularly for a while ... but nothing has shown up yet.
 
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