Pecan for scales?

awp101

awp101

Joined
Nov 15, 2008
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Hello all, new guy here with a new question hopefully!:D

I have some pecan limbs from my Grandfather's tree that he gave me for my smoker. I got to wondering if some of it might not make neat scales but to my knowledge I've never seen any made from pecan and a search of the forum turned up nothing related.

I'm new to all this so I'm reading as much as I can.

Thanks!:thumbup:
 
Pecan is a VERY dense hardwood so yes It would make a great handle it's usually fairly straight grained though from what I seen so not alot of figuring unless you get into a crotch or root of the tree. Could also luck out and find an "Old Growth" tree 100+ years old that would have figure in it.
 
Look a couple of pages back for a thread on Hickory handles. Pecan is a hickory.

I've used it and like it a lot. Some don't like it because it can be a "dirty" wood like oak because of the open grain.

Walter
 
Many fruitwoods and hardwoods can be used.
The problem with small limbs, is that they don't have developed grain, and are mainly sapwood.
Either root burl, crotch wood, or older grain trunk woods are the preferred density for handles.
Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
Many fruitwoods and hardwoods can be used.
The problem with small limbs, is that they don't have developed grain, and are mainly sapwood.
Either root burl, crotch wood, or older grain trunk woods are the preferred density for handles.
Stacy
Click to expand...

What's considered older? I have a neighbor that is cutting down a pear tree, and I think it's at least 10 years old. I could also get some roots near the splits for branches, and toward the roots.
 
Limbs are not suitable wood for handles or furniture because they grow under stresses the trunk doesn't see. The bottom of the limb is in compression and the top is under tension. Limb woods are very prone to checking and strange unpredictable movement.

Burn the limbs. Trunkwood is what you want.
 
Thanks to everyone!:thumbup:

I was not aware pecan was part of the hickory family. I learn something new everyday, whether I want to or not!:D I'll go back and look for the thread.

What about maple? Is there a difference in species? I have a silver leaf maple in the backyard that I think is dying. Would it be any different than any other maple species?

I have a couple of limbs that are 3-4" in diameter and 2-2.5' long. I have no idea how old the tree is but for as long as I can remember that tree has been in his backyard. Of course some days I can't tell you what I had for breakfast by lunch time...:rolleyes: I figure if nothing else, it's something cheap to parctice with and if it doesn't work out I'll have some pecan smoked antelope sausage in the works.;)

Pics? Eh, I dunno since it may be a while:D I first ordered a small skinner from a knifemaking supply in Texas along with a stacked leather washer fixed blade a couple of years ago figuring they'd be my first projects. I cut the scales for the small skinner and found out I cut them EXACTLY the size I wanted. Too bad that didn't give me any room for shaping.:rolleyes: Since then both projects have sat but I hope to change that soon.

I've been hitting this forum and scouring the internet recently. Last year a friend gave me the Barnes and Loveless How to Make Knives along with a sharpening book (he's not a knife guy, he'd found them and thought I'd like them), for Christmas I was given The $50 Knife Shop and this week I received Blade's Guide to Making Knives. I put together 6 folder kits from Jantz as Christmas presents (plus another for me :D).

At this point I know enough to stick to premade blades while I work on my scale skills. After that we'll go forward!:D

Thanks again!:thumbup:
 
Fiddleback said:
Limbs are not suitable wood for handles or furniture because they grow under stresses the trunk doesn't see. The bottom of the limb is in compression and the top is under tension. Limb woods are very prone to checking and strange unpredictable movement.

Burn the limbs. Trunkwood is what you want.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, I didn't know that either! Hmmm....
 
Yes, limbs are not suitable for much more than easy to split kindling.
The crotch wood is the trunk section at a branch or split. The root burl is the wood from the underground roots to about one foot above the ground. On some woods, the root burl is the only usable part for knives. Buckeye burl and thuya are some examples.

Silver maple is an ornamental tree, and not normally useful as lumber or knives handles. You want one of the varieties of maple that produce a tight grain and hard wood. Curly maple is from the preferred type of figure.
Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
The root burl is the wood from the underground roots to about one foot above the ground. On some woods, the root burl is the only usable part for knives. Buckeye burl and thuya are some examples.
Click to expand...
A-ha! I always thought "burl" referred to the figure or something. I see that's not the case.
 
Burl refers to the deformation of the grain in wood. This is caused by some stress to the cambium. Damage, disease, crotches, or the base of the tree will create the burl pattern. The term is also used to loosely cover any swirly grain pattern. If a tree is of the type that grows a large knot at the base, as in buckeye, the ball is called the burl.These root burls can be ten ( or more) times the size of the trunk. If there is a lump or large tumor on the trunk or a branch, it is called a burl,too. Most burls are of no use for knives, but some trees produce spectacular burl wood.
Stacy
 
Fiddleback said:
Burn the limbs. Trunkwood is what you want.
Click to expand...

Well said, Andy. Thanks also to bladsmth for clearing up what a burl is.

I was at a cool little gift shop this weekend that had several large bowls carved from burls; they were all pretty, but half of them were badly cracked. The other half may well crack at some time in the future. I asked the shop owner, and he confirmed that they had been carved from the "raw" burl and just polyurethaned. This is fine for a decorative piece, I guess, but as far as I know, burls must be stabilized for things like knife handles.
 
Ok, I think I've got it now!:D

Burl does refer to the figure but generally it comes from the crotch or root area.
 
We made a matched set of three hunting knives with pecan handles for a gent that wanted knives made from a material from his farm. He supplied a piece of pecan crotch wood. We sawed the wood into slabs, dried the wood for months before using and then stabilized it. It did have some pink color in addition to the figure in the grain and made some good looking handle slabs. It was a lot of trouble to use because the wood was not cured but in log form. It had to be sawn, dried and stabilized prior to use and the loss to warping was higher than we expected. They turned out to look much better than we thought they would, but were a pain to do and I don't want to use it again from the raw state.
 
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