Russian olive wood for a handle

Olive wood can be gorgeous for handles, Cutting boards and carved wooden spoons and spatulas'

Very oily and I don't think it could be stabilized even if you wanted to. The Burls are the most sought after but other parts can be beautiful as well depending on how you use it.
 
I made several kitchen knives with olive wood/burl...difficult to beat the beauty, the chatoiance, and it does age well too. Oil finish is the way to go, but it requires several applications.
 
It has to be cut and dried properly, but is a lovely wood. Very popular for kitchen knives.
 
I've used regular olive wood, and it's really nice. First I'd heard of Russian olive wood. I read it grows mostly 15 to 20 ft high. Not sure how big the trunk would be nor what the wood looks like. Anyone have a photo of some of this Russian olive wood?

Ken H>
 
Several states have eradication programs for this weed tree. Takes acrylic infusion well and enhances physical characteristics nicely. I processed some burl and gave Gene Martin a block to play with. Recommend it and it's a common (to common) wood.
 
I just realized that I have only one knife with olive wood handle....wait for it....the Boker Gnome Olive. Ok, it's not much more than a splinter in size, but I think it's actually kind of pretty (the wood, not the knife). :)

I know it's far from the work you custom makers use, but here's a few more from the Chinese line... http://www.boker.de/us/search/olive-0-9999-1-0.html
 
I think olive wood can be beautiful. I am a sucker for Purpleheart though. Also love Osage. I have a couple Osage self bows finished with tung oil. I put a coat of Johnson's paste wax on them every year or so and after 10-15 years they have take on a very deep lustre compleatly different from when new
 
I think its true name is Oleaster, I have been cutting it for firewood, saving the burl and some of the larger tighter grains and waxing it on the ends and exposed areas.
some has been sitting for 3 years or more, at the same time saving plum, apple and choke cherry.


Thanks for all the input :)
 
Could be Larry - that's why I was asking questions. I see this image: http://cs319919.userapi.com/v319919380/561e/M2ZJQqI9o20.jpg and it looks like what I've come to think of as "olive wood". The link provided by Stacy has a lot of images ID'd as "Russian Olive" - and only a few that say only "olive wood".

Here's a link to the wood database for Olive wood: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/russian-olive/

and a link to Russian Olive wood: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/russian-olive/

There's a good bit of difference in the two woods as far as density, porous, etc goes with "real" olive wood being twice as hard as Russian olive wood. From these numbers I'd expect real olive wood to be good knife scales without stabilizing, while Russian Olive would benefit greatly from stabilizing.

Ken H>
 
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