What is your favorite Australian knife handle wood?

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Burl Source

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I hope some of the Australian knife makers will answer this thread as well. I figured they might know about some cool woods we never see over here.

Please tell us which Australian woods you like best, and why. Have you ever used it before? Did you see it on a knife you liked?

Photos?

I will start things off with a couple photos of pieces I've really liked.

My very favorite.....Ringed Gidgee.
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Red and yellow mallee
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I think this one was called Hairy Oak
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Tasmanian Blackwood
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I really like the stuff in the link gixxer posted. The red malle you have pictured is nice too how dense is it?

MG
 
Salem Straub said:
I was gonna say ringed gidgee, too. It's beautiful. Acacia ironwood is another beaut.
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Gidgee is one of Australia's desert Acacias. I guess there are a few. What I read on the Australian Knife Makers Guild website says the desert acacias will range from 1.2 to 1.4 in density. About the same as our desert ironwoods.

The red mallee seemed to be real close in density to the gidgee.

According to Wikipedia, Tasmania is an island that is a part of Australia.
 
This was another piece sent to me from down under.

Australian Ebony. The darkest black wood I have ever seen.
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This was how it looked right after cutting.


I was hoping to here from some of the Australian Knife Makers
I just checked on the time zones and right now it is early tomorrow morning down there.
Maybe after they have their morning coffee we will hear from some of them.
 
The gidgee is definitely my favourite to use for handles. Especially for a handle on a big bowie or something like that. I have also used the Hairy Oak and I really like the pattern that came out on that one. I have used some Mallee Root Burl. Looks great as well. My stepfather used to do a fair bit of wood turning so I get offcuts from the wood turners which are too small for what they want to do but still fine for knife handles.
 
I recently worked with a bit of red mallee and it is now one of my favorite looking handle materials. I've never seen gidgee in person but I sure like it in that picture.
 
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Belah, ringed Gidgee when the fiddle back is not too tight, Coolabah, Myall. Stabalizing Gidgee is some of the best money you will ever spend, enhances an already perfect timber.

Peter
 
Just me again. Gidgee ofcourse for me but im'e liking Vine wood, Aust rose wood and the shee oaks, especially lace shee oak. For more info check out Xylo australis, or David Brodziak a maker who uses a lot of West Australian timber. 1st,Tasmanian Tiger wood, 2nd Vine wood . Yes Tasmania is part of Australia, it's where the English sent their convicts.:D
 

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PARKERKNIVES said:
Just me again. Gidgee ofcourse for me but im'e liking Vine wood, Aust rose wood and the shee oaks, especially lace shee oak. For more info check out Xylo australis, or David Brodziak a maker who uses a lot of West Australian timber. 1st,Tasmanian Tiger wood, 2nd Vine wood . Yes Tasmania is part of Australia, it's where the English sent their convicts.:D
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Dude Australia in general was where the english sent their convicts. Especially Sydney/botany bay.

I like Jarrah just because if it's deep red colour.
 
I absolutely love gidgee.... As you already know Mark! :)

I first bought a piece about 11 years ago just because I thought it had a cool name. As soon as I actually put it on a knife and finished it out, I fell in love.

It's got a lot of the characteristics of Ironwood that I love... but it's something different.

Quality ringed Gidgee is like curly Koa (another one of my favorites)... ON STEROIDS! :D
 
I like Yorke Gum Burl, pretty sure it is a Western Australian tree.

I first saw it on David Brodziak's knives in Melbourne one year.

Picked a few pieces at a local timber merchant.

Stewart

PS Best piece of wood I have is a piece of Tiger Myrtle, enough for one knife, one day. :)
 
Are all Australian people friendly?
Seems like at least once a month someone from Australia stops by here. Today a couple from Western Australia was here. One of these days I will have to visit. Seems every Australian I meet says to come visit and that they have an extra room. It would really be fun to go there and fill a shipping container full of wood to ship back to the states.
 
My favourite aussie woods are Mulga Burl and She Oak. I have also some tingle that comes up a treat and is extremely dense.

Matt
 
mattbrook said:
My favourite aussie woods are Mulga Burl and She Oak. I have also some tingle that comes up a treat and is extremely dense.

Matt
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I have never heard of Tingle. Do you have any photos? I would like to see the Mulga Burl as well. There are a lot of us wood junkies that like to see photos.
 
I have a pic of some Mulga Burl on a knife I make. Will get a photo up for you when I can. I have some lengths of tingle stashed away, will see if I can get a photo of that too.

Matt
 
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