Too much Desert Ironwood?

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
Messages
6,135
What's up with all the Desert Ironwood? It seems like 90% of custom knives, especially Master Smith knives, are Desert Ironwood.

Now don't get me wrong. I think Desert Ironwood is beautiful, but I would like to see some variety. Personally, I love ebony, especially on Damascus. Brazilian Rosewood is pretty too.
 
Desert ironwood is very popular, but I see lots of knives that use other woods. Burl wood is very popular. I also see a fair bit of African blackwood, osage orange and gidgee. You see a few knives that have ebony handles, but very little rosewood. I see more wenge, bocote and lignum vitae. Cocobolo is still fairly popular, but no where near what it once was. You see a fair bit of snakewood as well.

Some other woods that I think would look good are figured myrtle, flame koa and coolibah.
 
People love ironwood, due to it's stability as well as it's beauty. Very rarely, do you see a handle made of ironwood with shrinkage issues.
 
It is bomproof and beautiful......I have just purchased some really nice Sinker log cypress burls that are out of this world, stuff has spent the last 60 to 100 years underwater and it is really nice looking, coulple of pieces that I have are called quited pattern sinker cypress and its gold in color and stunning.

I plan to send several pieces to WSSI, and use it in a forged piece I am working on at the moment

Spencer
 
Spencer, I'm looking forward to pics of that wood....
I love the looks of desert ironwood, but have found that it will darken in a user. I have a Dozier that had the most gorgeous gold flecked and patterned ironwood, but since she is a user, it has darkened a fair amount.
 
I tend to favor the lighter higher-contrast ironwood. I agree that I see a fair bit of the stuff aorund. Reminds me of a few years back when it seemed every second ABS carbon steel bowie had fiddleback maple. There's lots of choice, though. My collection always has a wide selection of different woods. I don't want a whole lot of any one thing.

Roger

PS- Danbo's right about the stability issue. Also, the density of the wood can work well to help balance out a big bowie blade.
 
I really like Ironwood and Cocobolo. I agree Roger about the Fiddleback maple being VERRRRY popular a couple years ago.
 
FWIW, I just received this from a supplier of Ironwood:

NOTE- Ironwood is now on the Endangered Species List
and all cutting of ironwood trees has stopped until further
notice and when special permits are granted until that time
ironwood will be available on a limited basis.

I guess that the "problem" of too much Ironwood has just been solved!
 
ptgdvc said:
FWIW, I just received this from a supplier of Ironwood:

NOTE- Ironwood is now on the Endangered Species List
and all cutting of ironwood trees has stopped until further
notice and when special permits are granted until that time
ironwood will be available on a limited basis.
Click to expand...

That probably means that the price of ironwood is going to increase.
 
Speculative: I'll bet the real percentage is about 30%, but for one wood alone that would be huge.

If you had to poll over wood qualities: Color, variation of patterns, stability, availability, DI would have to rise to the top. It's no wonder.

All that said, it's a VERY rich wood, and like hazlenut coffee, you either like it or you don't. Easy to get 'sick' of it. (Ask me when the last time I enjoyed a hazlenut coffee. I went on a binge for months and now it makes me puke... :barf: )

I am an anomoly, in that I cringe when I see snakewood. Just don't like the stuff, as beautiful as it is. Rather have plain ol' ebony.

I just finished a piece by Charles Bennica which is a STUNNING example of ironwood in all its glory. Wanna see it?

Coop
 
I like most all hardwoods,DI is some beautiful stuff.
As well as cocobolo,walnut,curly maple,buckeye,ebony,blackwood,coolibah(eucalyptus),lig vit,snakewood,bocote.
I have issues with stabilization of woods so DI being as tough as it is, fills the bill as well as coolibah,really tough wood.
Snakewood is kinda' soft and could probably benefit from stabilization,jmo.

Burls are exceptional as well. :cool:
Don't have koa and have seen some very nice examples 'round here.

Doug :)
 
SharpByCoop said:
If you had to poll over wood qualities: Color, variation of patterns, stability, availability, DI would have to rise to the top.
Click to expand...

Right you are sir. The last time I ran a completely idle, non-scientific Multi-forum poll for "What's your favorite wood?"

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=369024

The results were

1) Ironwood
2) Walnut
2) Maple (tie)
4) African Blackwood

Ironwood is popular for many good reasons.

Roger

PS Bring on the Bennica
 

(Knife courtesy of KnifeLegends.com)

Coop
 
Coop,

I have held that knife, and in this rare case, you have failed to do it justice.

P
 
I like DI, but I do think it's slightly over-rated. I like other woods better, especially nice burls.
 
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