Red Oak for scales?

Badhammer

Badhammer

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Jun 8, 2009
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Thinking about trying my hand at making some scales for some of my fixed blades. Just cut down a bunch of oaks on the property and was wondering if red oak would make a decent set of scales?

Anyone made a knife with oak as a handle material? TIA
 
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I haven't done it personally, since I have no woodworking skills, but a good friend has made several sets of scales from both Red Oak and
White Oak. (Mahogany stain on the white.)

I've handled one of the knives, which was finished with a Gunstock "plastic oil" finish, and it looked and felt very nice. He's used this knife for hunting the last 2-3 years, and the scales seem to hold up quite well. :thumbup:
 
Badhammer said:
Thinking about trying my hand at making some scales for some of my fixed blades. Just cut down a bunch of oaks on the property and was wondering if red oak would make a decent set of scales?

Anyone made a knife with oak as a handle material? TIA
Click to expand...

Red oak ? any wood makes nice scales if you like how it looks , afterall it is your knife. I have used plain oak on an older kitchen butcher blade , I think it looks great , no pics though , not at my home right now anyway.

That said I would hold off on making fresh cut wood like that into scales for about a year or so , you want it to completely dry or it can split , curl , warp etc etc.. an alternative is you can get the wood stabilized for a fee , theres a few sites that offer that service , google them and post pics when your done ! :)


Tostig
 
Red oak is pretty wood for a lot of things, but it's very open grain and tends to split. For something as small as scales, you want to dry it well and be careful setting rivets. I'd consider hardening it with something like a saturation of epoxy...MHO.
 
Red oak is pretty porous, unlike white oak, so you'll want to seal it. Other than that it's a pretty tough wood and should work well for knife scales.
 
I agree that red oak can split easily, especially when thin.
I have made pistol grips and knife handles out of it though and really like the look.
It can be tough to work with but just take your time and seal it well when done.
I use boiled linseed oil.
 
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