Interest in precut scales?

[Ian Fifelski]

$50-$60 each is a lot IMO, even if you get $500 a knife, you are in 10% for the wood alone,
for a $250 knife you are in for 20% cost of handle material.

I don't know, others who do this for a living know how to go about this, I'm still learning.

I was a bit suprised by this also. I can get a 1" x 1-1/2" x 5" block of Gaboon Ebony for $10. I know your blocks are a bit larger (1 5/8 x 1 1/4 x 6) but $45 more for that much larger is surprising.

Can't complain about your kingwood prices though!

 

[Greenberg Woods]

I was a bit suprised by this also. I can get a 1" x 1-1/2" x 5" block of Gaboon Ebony for $10. I know your blocks are a bit larger (1 5/8 x 1 1/4 x 6) but $45 more for that much larger is surprising.

Can't complain about your kingwood prices though!

I have talked about this other places and other wood suppliers have commented as well as to where the cost comes from.

When people are buying wood online, they demand a certain type of product.

They want the block bone dry "Takes time/ energy to run a dehumidifer as well as space to keep it all"

sanded and buffed so that the figure is visible "takes time/ abrasives/ dust collection"

well photographed "Takes time and a pricey camera"

Listed on a website "Takes lots of time and you have to pay a subscription fee for your site"

And that is just the costs involved in going from block to site. That doesn't take into account sourcing the wood in the first place, buying it, shipping it, time, upkeep and investment in machines to break down the wood along with associated loses, shipping it for stabilizing, paying for stabilizing and shipping it back before running through the above steps to get a block on the site.

The reason for the cost of high quality blocks is that it is a time consuming and difficult process to go from a log or burl to a finished block ready to be used on a knife.

This thread goes into the costs some

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/do-it-yourself-and-save-money.1466151/

 

[Greenberg Woods]

Personally at least 80% of the wood I buy is precut scales. I only make full tang knives so there is a lot of waste with blocks. They're also more time consuming to prep obviously and I don't know what the book matched sides are going to look like until I split them. I think offering scales would dramatically open up the market for your wood.

Ill try that. I think i will also make some videos about setting up a bandsaw to make sure you get the best possible cuts.