question on stabilizing wood

rocketmann

rocketmann

Joined
Dec 24, 2005
Messages
1,254
I can't find the list of woods that do not require stabilization... Anyone have it ?? thanks...
 
The really dense woods, like snakewood, kingwood, desert ironwood or others, or really oily woods don't stabilize well. If you try to have an oily wood stabilized it gets ugly in a hurry. Myrtlewood doesn't stabilize well, either, and gets really ugly. Myrtlewood usually comes out looking like God squeezed it. Some redwood is oily.

Most semi hardwoods stabilize just fine.

Wood has to be really dry to stabilize. If moistire content is over 6% or so you are looking for a problem. I think Tiger has too much moisture to stabilize well.

Gene
 
I went to a woodcraft store today and they had some great prices on wood but I could not remember all of the ones that don't need to be stabilized. I bought some Katalox, ligum V and some African Rosewood that I know will be ok. They also had a lot of Ebony, cocobolo, bloodwood, palm wood, palimino etc etc.I wasn't sure about bacote, lacewood, bubinga, claro walnut and dozens more...I saw a list on this forum at one time and should have printed it....:grumpy:
 
This was on a thread here a while back from Chuck Bybee. I think it's the list that you were talking about.

Wood was used for centuries before stabilization. In my opinion, not all woods can or should be stabilized. We've learned a little about which woods react well to being stabilized.

When I write about stabilization I'm referring to professional stabilization by companies like K&G and WSSI. Immersing wood under vacuum in Minwax Wood Hardener, tung oil, linseed oil or polyurethane is not the same as professional stabilizing. The chemicals are different and more importantly the results are different. If you choose to do your own stabilizing you should tell your customers. Letting customers think wood has been professionally stabilized is the same as buying damascus and letting your customer think you made it. If you do your own stabilizing buy a good moisture meter. We've found wood responds better to stabilizing when the moisture content is 6% or less.

Woods Than Responded Well To Stabilizing:
- Acacia
- Afzelia
- Alder
- Amboyna
- Black Ash
- Bamboo
- Beech
- Beefwood
- Birch
- African Blackwood
- Box Elder
- Bubinga
- Buckeye
- Canary Wood
- Carob
- Chechen
- Cherry
- Coolibah
- Cottonwood
- Carpathian Elm
- Elm
- Eucalyptus
- Gum
- Jarrah
- Koa
- Locust
- Madrone
- Santos Mahogany
- Maidou
- Brown Mallee
- Red Mallee
- Mango
- Maple
- Masur Birch
- Mesquite
- Mulberry
- Oregon Myrtle
- Tasmanian Myrtle
- Needlewood
- Australian Oak
- Oak
- Olive
- Tasmanian Olive
- Osage Orange
- Paduak
- Black Palm
- Red Palm
- Pecan
- Pink Ivory
- Pistachio
- Purpleheart
- Redwood
- Russian Olive
- Sandalwood
- Sapele
- Sheoak
- Sycamore
- Tambootie
- Teak
- Tulipwood
- Vitex
- Black Walnut
- English Walnut
- Wenge
- Woody Pear
- York Gum
- Zebrawood

Woods With Limitations:
- Bocote - May Weep Stabilant
- Ebony - Scales Only
- Asian Ebony - Scales Only
- Striped Ebony - Scales Only
- Juniper - May Weep Stabilant
- Snakewood - Scales Only
- Thuya - May Weep Stabilant
- Claro Walnut - May Turn Black
- Pacific Yew - May Weep Stabilant
- Ziricote - May Weep Stabilant

Woods Where Stabilizing Did Not Work:
- Cedar - Stabilant Did Not Polymerize
- Curly Ipe - Stabilant Did Not Penetrate
- Lacewood - Wood Turned Black
- Limba - Wood Turned Ugly
- Merbau - Stabilant Did Not Penetrate

Woods We Have Not Tested:
- Cocobolo
- Desert Ironwood
- Kingwood
- Lignum Vitae
- Bolivian Rosewood
- Honduran Rosewood
- Indian Rosewood
- Verawood

If you have questions feel free to ask.
__________________
Chuck Bybee
chuck@alphaknifesupply.com
http://www.alphaknifesupply.com
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Scott, That was the one !!:thumbup: Now if I could just find a ball bearing...:D
 
rocketmann said:
Thanks Scott, That was the one !!:thumbup: Now if I could just find a ball bearing...:D
Click to expand...

I just picked up another two hundred pounds of bearing steel this week. I'm thinking I have about 1500 pounds of the stuff now. My wife suggests that I put it in the for sale threads, cause she's seen the slow pace at which I use it.
 
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