What to do with Buckeye?

[Milt]

I have some Buckeye wood that I bought for handles. Does it need to be stabilized or can it be used as is? If I have it stabilized, should I dye it first? Opinions please.


Milt

 

[Horsewright]

I would have it stablized.

 

[Faron Moore]

Buckeye is TOO soft to use in its raw state, so having stabilized is about the only option. When you choose a service, ask them about dying your material as some colors do better with certain woods and thus yield better results. Whomever you use (professional outfit) will be knowledgeable enough to guide you in the right direction.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Buckeye is rarely sold for knife handles unstabilized, so I assume you bought some larger blocks of unstabilized buckeye burl often used by wood turners.

Cut them into slightly oversized knife handle blocks and send them to K&G or WSSI and have them stabilized. Do not cut them into scales. Do that from the blocks after stabilization.

You can make a long block that will cut out several sets of scales and have it stabilized, and then slice up the block like a loaf of bread. If you like scales that are 1.5X4". Cut the block 1.75X4.25 by any length up to 12". After having it stabilized, trim about 1/8" off the four sides ( don't worry about the top and bottom), and cut sets of scales of the end as you need them. If you cut more than one set of scales, make sure you flip each pair of scales over to bookmatch them ( turn the adjacent cuts the outside so both are identical) and rubber band them together as you cut them off. Mismatched buckeye scales will still be nice, but bookmatched buckeye is often stunning.

If the block you have is thick, make sure you decide which face you like for the handle sides before slicing it into slabs. Also, remember that you will pay to stabilize whatever you send, not what you finally cut out to keep, so trim any bad wood or overly excessive thickness before sending it out. $10/pound is a lot of money to toss in the trash can needlessly.

Final comment - It is better to waste a little wood and get four or five great handles than to try and make the most of a block and get seven or eight so-so handles.

 

[Faron Moore]

Milt ,if I may add. As far as coloring buckeye, the blues and darker greens seem to lend themselves well to the species and if Your wood is already cut into scales that is perfectly fine ,as a matter of fact it would allow You to see what You are sending to be stabilized especially with buckeye burl, which has voids and bark inclusions throughout it (common to the species) . Most stabilizing services like blocks because they are easier to work with,the only problem is,you have no idea what's inside until you cut your slabs off the block and then it's yours.Hope this helps

Faron Moore
CEO. Moores Customs

 

[Burl Source]

Just my opinion here......nothing else.
If the buckeye has colored up with the blues and grays I would not get it dyed.
Sometimes buckeye will look blonde on the outside but will have colored up nicely inside.
You should be able to tell by trimming off a half inch at one end.
If the wood is blonde all the way through you can use any color you like. Buckeye takes dyes very nicely with rich, vibrant colors.
If there is some blue and black in the wood that can give a nice contrast to lighter colors. I dyed some orange once and the blocks turned out orange and black. Some was used to make Harley club knives.

If you cut the piece into scales before getting the wood stabilized, make sure they are extra thick.
My experience has been that buckeye moves a lot during the curing process when stabilized.
After sanding flat you could end up with scales that are too thin.
My vote is have it stabilized in block form.
Also make sure the buckeye is dry. Thicker pieces can read 8% moisture on the outside and still be 20% moisture content on the inside.
We use a lot of buckeye for furniture and bowls here. For a slab 2 inches thick I would suggest 2+ years air drying time.

If you post a photo we could give better advice.

 

[Faron Moore]

great add on Mark.most of the scales I receive are @ 1\2 inch that leaves plenty for sanding.

Faron Moore
CEO. Moores Customs