Mesquite for handle material?

A

Azsoldier

Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
193
I got some mesquite from a tree they were cutting up after a storm.

The heart wood is very dense about 4 inch diameter.

Some one told me it is close to ironwood in density.

Just checking here.
 
I've used Mesuite for a kitchen knife to test the wood. Very stable. Been giving it tough duty for a few years and it's held up as new. Just doesn't have much grain structure for a good looking high end handle.

Dan
Bearpaw Knives
 
I've used some curly honey mesquite I got from gilmer. It worked very well. I compare hardness to just a litte bit softer then Koa.

Chuck
 
All i need is function and it is from a tree in my unit that suffered storm damage. I may rehandle a knife with it before I get sent to Iraq.
 
Azsoldier said:
All i need is function and it is from a tree in my unit that suffered storm damage. I may rehandle a knife with it before I get sent to Iraq.
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It's good stuff. As long as it's dry, you won't be disappointed.
 
It is goint to take a good while for that wood to dry.You could try to microwave dry it if time is a real problem.
 
I will let it dry in my car which turns into a 180 degree kiln during the day.

The landscaper that cut it for me also used to make knives and used it for his handles. He cut it long because of end splits. Told me to let it dry in the car for a few months. No rush really. I have two kukuris with horn handles and one is already shrinking.
 
Mesquite is very hard, but not particularly oily. It is about 55 to 60 lbs/cu ft. It is harder and heavier than walnut and much more stable. Crotch wood often has nice fiddleback grains and the burl wood is as good as any of the more famous types and is generally much more stable. Mesquite is noted for its lack of warping and resistance to moisture.

It has a variety of color with the average being pinkish brown. It darkens nicely with age. I use it a lot.
 
Damn! I should have gotten a piece of the 24" diameter heartwood stump! This tree was over 60 Yrs old! Damn Damn!!!
 
Cut your pieces a little over-sized. Melt some parafin in a small pot and dip the ends of your block in the parafin. This will seal the ends.
Imagine the ends being microscopic tubes through which the moisture can escape very easily. This will allow the moisture near the ends to leave the block faster than the moisture in the interior! This uneven departure of moisture is what causes blocks of wood to crack and split. The ends want to shrink and the middle wants to stay the same!
Take a look at the ends of firewood to illustrate this point!
Sealing the ends forces the moisture to dissipate through the "walls" evenly and you should end up with a nice and evenly dry piece of wood.
I would NOT recommend the "car-kiln".
Hang it from the ceiling in your garage, or up in your attic!
 
99% of my work is with mesquite. Been using it for 25 years, making mostly rocking chairs. Right now I'm in the process of gathering all of my really burly mesquite, to use for knife handles. I have a "trunk" in my shop that is 48" in diameter by 14 feet long, pretty big for a mesquite. It's neat stuff. I like Deft semi-gloss for a nice finish, not glossy at all. Just depends on what you're after. BTW (selfish plug here) I'll my my handle material page up and going shortly if anyone is interested.
Robert
www.mesquiterocker.com
Uvalde, Texas
 
I really like mesquite. This is a knife I finished recently with mesquite handles. I actually like the grain more then ironwood. It was dry when I got it and after applying two coats of tung oil it really brought out the grain.
Scott

mesquite.JPG
 
Wow.... Thats an awesome blade! Just what I am looking for... If I could afford it. It looks kinda like a simple BK7. All it would need to be perfect for me is a lil bit of a thumb riser at the spine. Awesome! I love the wood, its a lil lighter than Ironwood too. Seems like I lucked out, lotsa storm downed mesquite around here. I will just let most of it lay and dry out whole.
 
rhrocker said:
99% of my work is with mesquite. Been using it for 25 years, making mostly rocking chairs. Right now I'm in the process of gathering all of my really burly mesquite, to use for knife handles. I have a "trunk" in my shop that is 48" in diameter by 14 feet long, pretty big for a mesquite. It's neat stuff. I like Deft semi-gloss for a nice finish, not glossy at all. Just depends on what you're after. BTW (selfish plug here) I'll my my handle material page up and going shortly if anyone is interested.
Robert
www.mesquiterocker.com
Uvalde, Texas
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Listen to Robert when it comes to mesquite. This guy KNOWS what he is talking about!

(the next time I am over your way I'll stop by, again. It's been a while)

Craig
 
rhrocker said:
Beautiful Scott!! Are some of the lines in the blade hamons?
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Thanks Robert. No hamon, it's the lighting. I fully harden my O1 which is what the steel is in this knife. I do a satin finish on the blade.
Scott
 
I have three logs 2'X18" diameter, plus one the same size but the crotch, all from a hybrid mesquite growing in my neighbors back yard. That thing was 30+ feet high. I asked if he was going to dig up the rootball too. He cursed me as he'd already used about 15 chainsaw blades from China-Mart and it's hard cutting that stuff. You can see sparks come off of it cutting it in daylight it has so many minerals in the wood.

A few weeks later he asked if I was interested in the rootball as it had kept pumping water from the huge roots coming off of it and I said yes.
In his back yard was a hole the size of a big jacuzzi, full of water, he'd dug trying to get at the roots to seperate them from the ball. Just one of those roots was the size of my thigh in diameter. I took the 350# root ball and when at the edge of his property asked if he was going to get any of those huge roots. His face turned funny colors as I retreated quickly.

It's been all drying in the shop for years.

Two years ago I was lucky enough to score a 200#+/- catclaw acacia root ball and several logs, ever more beautiful looking wood than mesquite burl. It looks very similar to mesquite when growing, just a very slight difference in the leaves, most wouldn't notice, but it has curved claws rather that straight thorns like some varieties of mesquite.
The wood is lighter and the burl has browns, greens, yellows, etc. It puts most burl to shame, IMO. Just biding my time to let it dry a little more in the shop before I cut it all into slabs and coat the tops and bottoms to allow it to finish drying. It can take a decade or more if left in the ball form.
 
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