Toughest Natural Handle Material

[Cliff Stamp]

[well preserved wood]

Thats tough stuff in my book.

There was a thread on this in rec.knives recently where I mentioned cutting seasoned pine, which branched off into under water woods, this actually acts like a preservative, it works really well on even low grade lumber.

As for tough woods, can even the ironwood grades take direct impacts as well as G10 / Micarta? Has anyone tried them in tomahawk handles, that is really demanding for a handle.

-Cliff

 

[Greg]

I've got a couple of Bark River Mikro's in Desert Ironwood and Lignum Vitae and it's a toss-up which is the most beautiful. The lignum vitae has a wonderful soft grain with multiple shadings and is naturally 'oily' to the touch. It is totally natural and polishes as you use it. The Ironwood has been stabilized (I think) and therefore reacts sort of like plastic and sort of like wood.
So far its the ironwood for looks (very close) and the lignum for everyday carry.
Greg

 

[STR]

I prefer lignum over all other woods for my own personal knives. Bill Scagel did also so I guess I'm in good company.

Lignum has been used for making boat drive shafts for many years, it has also been the preferred wood for sail boat sheaves, and is still used for bushings and other underwater applications. The name lignum vitae translates 'long life' or 'wood of life' or something to that effect anyway. No matter by what name it goes by, which are many, they all speak of it's long life and durability in one respect or another.

I shop around and try to find the best color and grain when I can. It is getting harder to find good quality heart wood but it is out there. $65 a board foot but it is there.

Here are some of it in two knives I did. One I made from scratch and one Spyderco Salt 1 I upgraded by making it personal and a third that Dirk Potgieter one of my like minded 'backyard knife mechanic' friends upgraded for me using some of the late great Bill Scagel's own personal stash of very old seasoned deep chocolate brown lignum vitae.

I think it is a rather attractive wood as well as a tough, durable rot restistant, chemical resistant wood. Overall I've found that it resists chipping, splitting, and cracking as well or perhaps better than the stabalized woods I've used.