What is your favorite wood?

[Ishrub]

African Blackwood. It's a fascinating wood - the hardest, heaviest and densest wood on earth (72 pounds per cubic foot). It's remarkably fine grained, has a natural oil to it that makes it very moisture resistant in normal use and it's jet-black appearance is beautiful. Next after AB would be Ebony and Cocobolo.

Not quite, but for all I know there could be a denser one still. Edit I have now found at least half a dozen in Australia including an AUSTRALIAN EBONY (Diospyros ferrea & varieties) Weighs 78 lbs per cubic foot.; BLACK COOLIBAH (Eucalyptus microtheca) Weighs 70-80 lbs per cubic foot.; CONKERBERRY (Carissa spp.) Weighs 70-75 lbs per cubic foot; BELAH - BLACK OAK (Allocasaurina pauper) Weighs 75-82 lbs per cubic foot.; AUSTRALIAN SNAKEWOOD (Acacia xiphophylla) Weighs 80 lbs per cubic foot.; DESERT ROSEWOOD (Alectryon oleifolius) Weighs 75-88 lbs per cubic foot.; a nd have stopped posting. See the source below for details. I was amazed too!

I have heaps of these Australian RED IRONWOOD on my 250 acre bush block in the Northern Territory, Australia. The leaves on young saplings are highly toxic to stock. I can attest to their hardness after chopping with an axe a 12" diameter log that had fallen over one of my fences in a storm. It took an hour and jarred by hands and arms with every blow with a good risk of lopping off a leg as the axe often failed to bite and glanced off.

Source: Australia's authentic, unique, rare and exotic woods. http://ajh-knives.com/xylo-australis.html

RED IRONWOOD (Erythrophleum chlorostachis)



Found in Northern Australia.
Brick red-deep red brown, bright yellow sap, some wavy, some fine dark lines, dense fine grain.
Pretty hard, cuts, drills and finishes to close tolerances and is stable. Finishes well with oils or surface finishes.
Weighs 75-80 lbs per cubic foot.

Here is another Aussie one

PINK or PURPLE GIDGEE (Acacia crombiei)





Rare desert species.
Greenish brown becoming purple to pink on exposure to light or Dark purple, becomes pink with light, bright ring at yellow sapwood. Very tough, fine grain.
Hard, but works well, best with surface finishes. Too dense to accept polymer filling or other stabilizing agents.
Weighs 80-85 lbs per cubic foot.

And

DESERT GIDGEE (Acacia cambagei)



Grows on Australia's inland desert areas.
Deep rich brown color, "Ringed" - Fiddleback like fine figure & texture. A favorite.
Some wavy or wild rich chocolate brown color, very fine figure and texture.
Very hard and heavy, cuts, drills, finishes and handles well. Best with surface finishes as oils darken it too much. One of the best for handles, superior to ironwoods.
Weighs 78-85 lbs per cubic foot.

 

[Ishrub]

I have a few too, especially Australian flame oak (AKA Flamed Casuarina, Flame oak, Wooly oak, Hairy oak. NO connection to oaks in Europe or North America. It is found in Queensland.)

Stabilized Australian myrtle burl.

Stabilized Australian mountain ash burl on my ED Kitchen knife

 

[quattromori]

One thing I find very interesting about wood in traditional knives is the huge variety (compared to other - and more common - materials, like stag and bone).
I'm a fan of smooth handles, and sooner or later I will try all those exotic (to me) woods (I never handled koa nor osage orange nor maple nor kingwood, but they sure look awesome).
Does anybody really like jigged wood? I've seen GEC produce some but it never really appealed to me (never held one though). Instead, the treatment used on oak on the beer barrel series by Boker looks good and comfy.

Fausto

 

[Student762]

Okay, dark woods= ebony
light woods= Tasmanian oak
in between= sheoak that has been quarter sawn, the medullary rays create a simply gorgeous lace-like pattern
Nice pics guys! I love this forum!

 

[Mink]

I love african Blackwood, Desert Ironwood and Amboyna.