Opinions Needed - Do you guys like this wood?

[timcsaw]

I like them all.

The (middle) Ringed Gidgee looks rather "ordinary", but it does look a lot like Acacia, and when finished, Acacia is one of the most beautiful woods I've ever seen. Something about it's depth and color variations I think. Personally, I really like Acacia, and the Gidgee looks like it would be similar but harder (if it's as hard as Ironwood). Does the Gidgee have the same sort of natural oils found in Ironwood? I find no need to put a finish on Ironwood. After hitting it with the buffer, it glows naturally. I wonder if the Gidgee would do the same?

 

[Burl Source]

Here is a link to a page by the Australian Knife Makers guild with more info on the ringed gidgee. They tell about the density (1.1 to 1.4) and natural oiliness of this wood.

 

[CDH]

I think they look good but if the price is similar or more than good Ironwood as you say, I'd pick Ironwood over the top 2 easily and probably the bottom one as well.

 

[iron4022]

They all look good and would be great for knife handles. Different is good. Stabilized is even better! Dan

 

[Steve Nuckels]

I like the Tasmanian Blackwood ! I'm a figured maple fan!

Steve
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Potomac Forge
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IN GOD WE TRUST

 

[tryppyr]

One thing that has happened to me as a result of my interest in knifemaking is I have developed an appreciation for the different types of woods that are out there. For that reason, I would say I like the look of all the pieces shown, and would probably include a sample of each in my collection just to have it on hand when the right project came along and called for that pattern and color combination.

That said, I would probably be waiting for a while before that right project came along. Like one other poster, I still find myself drawn to burls with dramatic color shifting and swirl patterns.

- Greg

 

[childzplay]

I like the bottom two. Those I would be willing to pay for. I think it would be tough to fetch a decent price for the top one. It's not to say I wouldn't try some, but only if the price were right. The other two I'd be willing to spend for.

 

[Dan Pierson]

I like the bottom two as well. The bottom one looks better in your photograph but I'm not sure which would look better in person in a finished handle.

 

[Los Angeles]

I guess I'm the only one that likes the top one best.

I've always liked stabilized palm, so go figure.

 

[Burl Source]

I guess I'm the only one that likes the top one best.

I've always liked stabilized palm, so go figure.

LA,
There were a few others who liked the tiger myrtle as well. This piece does look a bit like black palm. The color patterns change a lot through the wood and sometimes when flat sawn looks a bit like snakewood.

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

Im'e not sure it is for me to comment, as i am the supplier of this wood to mark but i can give you a bit more info on these examples. I would rate the hardness, softest to hardest, Tiger Myrtle, Tas black wood, Ringed gidgee and then the Belar. The tiger myrtle is a wood that i would probably stabilize, although it is harder than some of the woods Mark has sent me from the US. It does come in burle and when finished looks like tiger orange and black. It would be the less expensive of the three and could be sourced in much bigger pieces. The Tassy Blackwood is hard enough to not need stabilizing. It will darken a bit as it gets exposed to the air over time. This is a better than normal piece and came in a block 12"x 8" x 3.5". The Gidgee is premium, hard, highly figured with a 3d look to it like Tiger eye stone. It will polish up just on a buffing wheel but a little danish oil is a nice touch. It can come in a range of colours from almost black to lighter yellow colours and come in blocks as large as 24" x 12" x 4 to 5" thick, much bigger than your Desert Ironwood i think. It's heavy and as such costs a lot to poste. If you are going to compare it to Desert Ionwood, and i think it should be, then it would have to compare in price as well. When the Germans order it they ask for as much as they can get and usually say charge what ever you think is fair. It is also sort by the Spanish and French. Some makers have got wood from Mark already, it would be good to see a few knives with it on as it looks so much better when mounted as a handle and rounded off and polished up. As yet no money has changed hands, just some swoping, so prices would have to be worked out but my friend who cuts most of it is a very reasonable bloke and Mark should be able to offer these woods at competitive prices. Hope this answers a few questions, and thanks for your opinions, feed back is always welcome. Cheers.

 

[tryppyr]

I know I may be one of few who care about such things, but can you comment on whether these woods are sustainably harvested?

- Greg

 

[Burl Source]

Thanks Adam,
It is good to hear from someone who has been using these woods for a while. As I cut the Tiger Myrtle I see how there can be a lot of different looks when the wood is cut flatsawn vs quartersawn. It sands very smooth without open pores like you will sometimes see in Oregon Myrtle. Our Myrtle has a gold tint and yours has an orange tint that I really like.

The blackwood you sent amazes me. Others have said it is used as a less expensive alternative to Hawaiian Koa. I have seen a lot of Koa but never anything as reflective as this. Once again I can see how it is cut will determine whether the figure will be stripes or other shapes.

The ringed gidgee is my all time favorite of all woods. I am keeping the last piece you sent for myself. It has been a tough one for me to photograph and show off the incredible figure.

Greg had a question about sustainable harvesting. I came from Washington near where he lives. It was not unusual to see where a strip of trees would be left along the roadway with everything clearcut on the other side. So I can understand his concern.

With the woods we use in Oregon only maybe one out of a hundred trees or so will have the burl we look for. They give firewood permits out to woodcutters who will watch for burl as well in the permitted cutting areas. Most times a burl will be sliced off the trunk of the tree like cutting off a branch. We also get some salvage pieces from areas being developed.

What Greg is seeing in Washington is loggers cutting everything, then the wood is milled into 2x4s, plywood skins and chipped up for particle board.

 

[Larry D. Davis]

I know I may be one of few who care about such things, but can you comment on whether these woods are sustainably harvested?

- Greg

I can only speak to the blackwood. There's a lot of stumps being salvaged after the logging ops are done. A lot of the "curly" figure is from compression and can be fine to use depending on the project. Not so good for acoustic backs and sides if it contains to much compression, but fine for turning blanks, etc. There are some long stumps that produce good wood. Not a guarantee, but look for straight grain over angled grain for best odds. Blackwood stumps produce much better wood than redwood stumps. Deeply curled redwood cut from old stumps is often extremely compressed figure with extreme run out and prone to surface cracks due to exposed end grain from the undulations.

I have a good source for these from an instrument wood cutter so I'll check with him before I post his web site contact. Personally, I don't stock Oz woods except for instruments.

 

[Larry D. Davis]

As for being able to get the wood cheap, you can get any wood cheap if you are willing to take left over junk stuff.

Most wood is very abundant. One just needs multiple sources to understand the market movements in availability. Any one can charge a high price and probably get it..for awhile until folks start doing their own research. Woods have always been a supply and demand thing, with niche markets for value added products. For the most part the higher the risk a consumer accepts, the lower the price. Higher prices dictate lower risk factors to a consumer.

Having said that I'm cutting 50 Koa knife blocks AT $3.50 EACH as part of of a $5,000 order to a knife supply catalog company. It's JUST wood...and....VERY GOOD WOOD at that.

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

To answer Greg's question, yes it's harvested in a sustainable way. My friend is a professional wood cutter that is licensed to cut in the areas he visits, which are remote desert outback country. The ringed Gidgee is found in one tree in a couple of dozen so it is cut selectively, the deadfall being used before live trees are cut. As for the Tasmanian timbers blackwood is common and used by the furniture and wood turner blokes and i don't think the tiger myrtel is under threat either. Sometimes i hear of horror stories of farmers pushing up piles of Gidgee and burning it to clear land, maby if more people realised how good this timber was and how valuable it could be, it would be looked after better. I will contact Bruce today and will post some picks of some more wood that he can get, includeing burls and some Aussie rose wood. Cheers.

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

Ok i promised to post a few picks of wood that we could send to Mark if you guys want it. So let's see what you think. The first five are all Gidgee, note the variation in colour and you can see the size of the sticks in the fith pic. The next three are Aussie Rose wood, it takes a fantastic natural shine as it has no pores.

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

The Rose wood and some red and white Mallee burl.

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

Now for a piece of Belah, the hardest wood i have ever seen, it polishes like glass without any finish but is rare. Some Tiger Myrtle burl and lastly my block of Tassie Blackwood. Any one interested?

 

[bigern26]

I like all three, I could see all of them on a knife!!!