Old pine for knife handles

A

Atmotech

Joined
Oct 29, 2022
Messages
31
I’m a relative newbie to knife making, so don’t be too hard on me.
I’m 70 years old and just started making knives about 6 months ago. My question is, can you make decent knife handles out of 150 year old southern pine. It came off of a door of my grandpa’s old house that has long since caved in. It has some sentimental value to it and I hate to see it thrown out after I pass. It really hard stuff. Looks like it might be heart pine.
Any input would be greatly appreciated…..
Atmo
 
The usually answer for woods for a knife handle is can ya dent it with a thumb nail? If ya can't good to go. Certainly understand the sentimental value and if I can be of any service throughout your build don't hesitate to ask. Just a type away. Was cutting a few scales off a large board of rosewood my father brought home from India at the end of WW2, just yesterday. I use it somewhat sparingly:

Gaw43Fo.jpg


xb1bHRx.jpg


But I do use it.
 
Don't hesitate to reach out to other makers helping you.
I know I Love that stuff! History.....Cherished Memories.

Also..... It's probably not 150 year old wood, it's 150 year old door???
😍😍😍😍😍😍
 
I think one of the questions to ask is, what you want to do with it? If you are going to use this all the time or in wet environments or in rough ways I think stabilizing it would be wise, just know that means you won't be able to stain the wood in any way.
If it's a display knife I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Just know the limits of the wood when it comes to fasteners and glue removal (if it's really dry it may soak glue in more readily and be hard to remove that staining.)
I just spent the last 7 weeks rewiring the 100 year old house we bought and it is filed with old growth pine. It is amazing how dry it is and being so dry it is hard. With that said some of it that has been exposed to more temp swings (attic) have lost some of the cellulose structure and is very brittle.
 
imho, no need to stabilize - my personal treatment is pure tung oil, it does take some time to dry & soak in but the results are fantastic
(much better than boiled linseed imho)

it will darken the wood, but also make it reasonably water resistant

share pics when you can
 
Yes, I agree with D dirc that there is no need to stabilize in the way of contemporary definition - just treat it properly after construction with a good oil finish and take care of it. Stabilizing suggest to me some vacuum pressure impregnation with resins. Way over kill. This wood has been shifting with the seasons for 150 + years. Is well acclimated and if it is not all split yet it will not likely go crazy after milling your knife handle.
 
Horsewright said:
The usually answer for woods for a knife handle is can ya dent it with a thumb nail? If ya can't good to go. Certainly understand the sentimental value and if I can be of any service throughout your build don't hesitate to ask. Just a type away. Was cutting a few scales off a large board of rosewood my father brought home from India at the end of WW2, just yesterday. I use it somewhat sparingly:

Gaw43Fo.jpg


xb1bHRx.jpg


But I do use it.
Click to expand...
To offer to assist IS A STAND UP gesture, i sir am impressed
 
Atmotech said:
I’m a relative newbie to knife making, so don’t be too hard on me.
I’m 70 years old and just started making knives about 6 months ago. My question is, can you make decent knife handles out of 150 year old southern pine. It came off of a door of my grandpa’s old house that has long since caved in. It has some sentimental value to it and I hate to see it thrown out after I pass. It really hard stuff. Looks like it might be heart pine.
Any input would be greatly appreciated…..
Atmo
Click to expand...
I would think very old yellow pine would great for knife handles, and a great way to repurpose it! I’m sure it’s plenty tough enough as is without doing anything more than putting some sort of finish on it.

I am far from a knife-maker, but I made these hobbyist-quality handles from some dogwood branches which were sitting on a woodpile probably no more than 5 years before I used them. I had no issues with them warping or shrinking, and they are very hard and dense. There are no liners on these knives, just a single piece of wood with the blade well cut out. They have been used and carried in my pocket with my keys, with no problems. I used mineral oil on them, which you probably shouldn’t do - it darkens the wood considerably over time.

fNSfCQl.jpg


I have made others with scavenged pieces of cherry and black locust, also with no issues.
 
Horsewright said:
The usually answer for woods for a knife handle is can ya dent it with a thumb nail? If ya can't good to go. Certainly understand the sentimental value and if I can be of any service throughout your build don't hesitate to ask. Just a type away. Was cutting a few scales off a large board of rosewood my father brought home from India at the end of WW2, just yesterday. I use it somewhat sparingly:

Gaw43Fo.jpg


xb1bHRx.jpg


But I do use it.
Click to expand...
Wow! Beautiful knife!
 
Just Tom. said:
I would think very old yellow pine would great for knife handles, and a great way to repurpose it! I’m sure it’s plenty tough enough as is without doing anything more than putting some sort of finish on it.

I am far from a knife-maker, but I made these hobbyist-quality handles from some dogwood branches which were sitting on a woodpile probably no more than 5 years before I used them. I had no issues with them warping or shrinking, and they are very hard and dense. There are no liners on these knives, just a single piece of wood with the blade well cut out. They have been used and carried in my pocket with my keys, with no problems. I used mineral oil on them, which you probably shouldn’t do - it darkens the wood considerably over time.

fNSfCQl.jpg


I have made others with scavenged pieces of cherry and black locust, also with no issues.
Click to expand...
Nice!
 
RayseM said:
Yes, I agree with D dirc that there is no need to stabilize in the way of contemporary definition - just treat it properly after construction with a good oil finish and take care of it. Stabilizing suggest to me some vacuum pressure impregnation with resins. Way over kill. This wood has been shifting with the seasons for 150 + years. Is well acclimated and if it is not all split yet it will not likely go crazy after milling your knife handle.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input. I’m pretty fond of teak oil for a finish
 
dirc said:
imho, no need to stabilize - my personal treatment is pure tung oil, it does take some time to dry & soak in but the results are fantastic
(much better than boiled linseed imho)

it will darken the wood, but also make it reasonably water resistant

share pics when you can
Click to expand...
I’ve got tung oil but it’s not pure tung oil. Will it not work if I put enough coats on it? I also use quiet a bit of teak oil.
 
TLR said:
I think one of the questions to ask is, what you want to do with it? If you are going to use this all the time or in wet environments or in rough ways I think stabilizing it would be wise, just know that means you won't be able to stain the wood in any way.
If it's a display knife I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Just know the limits of the wood when it comes to fasteners and glue removal (if it's really dry it may soak glue in more readily and be hard to remove that staining.)
I just spent the last 7 weeks rewiring the 100 year old house we bought and it is filed with old growth pine. It is amazing how dry it is and being so dry it is hard. With that said some of it that has been exposed to more temp swings (attic) have lost some of the cellulose structure and is very brittle.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Something to think about
 
yeah, the problem with the non-pure tung oil is they add alcohol to thin it & dry faster, and to get it to absorb quicker into the wood

imho that adds it's own set of issues - it's not as good as pure tung but it will dry faster
test it out and compare it with pure tung if you get some ; ) then you'll see if it's acceptable or not
 
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