Newbie Question: Stabilized Wood/Bone

etp777

etp777

Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
2,259
Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is stabilized wood/bone? I've heard various mentions of it here in this forum, and I decided that maybe it's something I need to know.

Knife I'm working on now(to make clear, it's jsut for me, and part of my learning process, so if I ended up doing something wrong, doesn't really matter, plan on remaking same design almost exactly at least twice more), is getting oak handles, but I just bought one of the pieces of 2"x1/4"x2' oak from Home Depot, which I've cut to shape of blade, and will sand/rasp to fit my hand and rub with Tru Oil gun stock oil.

I'm guessing this wood has not been stabilized, so what does that mean, what does it involve, and is it something I should do in future?

And yes, I know I need books, plan on buying at least one with each of next few paychecks, hoepfully

Thanks for all the great stuff I've already learned here, and any answers to this question
 
Stabilized wood is sealed throughout. Wood such as you bought can be called 'in the natural'. Most woods, by nature, absorb moisture and react to climate changes by swelling and contracting. A good example of this is how a door sometimes does not close well. Another is how a rifle stock that is not properly sealed swells and does not match well with its ajoining metal parts.

Your oak can be sealed by you to a certain extent by applying a proper oil to it before filling any grain. As I understand it, knife handle wood is sealed throughout the entire blank using techniques not so easily available to home craftsmen. These pieces cost a little more for obvious reasons and will provide much protection to the wood handle and cause it not to loose shape. Also there is a large benefit in that the grain is filled for you making for a much smoother surface.

RL
 
Thanks rlinger, that's what I thought, but wasn't sure.

Have refinished gun stocks before(actually, have two right now I need to finish sanding/stripping and reoil), but they've all been from at least decent quality guns, and two of them at least(think all three) are older than I am, two of them by at least twice my age, so I figure if the wood is gonna change, would have by now. Plus I store them right.

But I wasn't sure relaly about wood I just buy now, esp. considering varying conditions a knife handle has to go through. heck, just the sweat from my hand on a hot long day of work oculd easily put more moisture into the scales than one of my gun stocks gets in a year.

I guess I'll have to order some stabilized wood before I sell any knives to anyone or make really good ones for myself. Or stick with micarta or cord wrapped(or other style) handles.

Thanks for the quick response. :)
 
One of the best source I've found for nice pieces of wood is eBay. I don't think the prices are cheaper than established online stores, but you do get the exact picture of what you're bidding on. Most online stores have "sample" pics that might or not be like what you get when you order....

JD
 
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