karelian birch rec.

timos-

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
2,184
hey all,

i used to get a handful of natural stabilized karelian birch blocks from estonia from time to time. they are not currently shipping to the US. Does anyone know where i can find some? looking fopr primo figure - the birdseye type.

tia,
tim
 
Yeah, there is plenty on etsy. I have bought some that was really nice and others were so-so. Price was good. You never know what the real source or species is, though.

I recall buying half-a-dozen large blocks of Turkish walnut on etsy for around $15 a block. The images were stunning. What arrived two months later was usable wood, but certainly not Turkish walnut, and not as nice as the images.
 
yeah, thanks guys, im looking for a solid known source, Ben doesnt have these unfortunaleyu. I do get everything else from him :)
 
Try Rad Knife Supply. He is in Florida I believe. I’ve gotten a bunch of scale sets from him.
 
Kiran Koa just advertised some.
 
I used to have a birch guy but hes in Belarus and they aren't shipping out anymore. There are a few suppliers in Finland and Norway who still sell, but they were too expensive for me to have margins on. There's a fair amount of lower quality stock still floating around in the US market, IMO. Alot of it isn't nice enough for handles but you can still get it.
 
I would consider birdseye maple as a substitute until these shipping woes simmer down.

Curly birch doesn't get enough praise, I adore it. Non stabilized and kiln dried is an amazing combination, the grain makes it one of the most resilient natural woods out there imho. I've never had a curly birch handle crack, shrink, or swell beyond needing to be touched up with BLO.

Etsy is likely your best bet for curly birch, but don't sleep on the birdseye maple!
 
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