What's causing these hairline fractures in my Osage handle - newbie question

R

Ryanol

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Aug 24, 2011
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Perhaps I didn't inspect it close enough but these handles appear to have cracked after the fact. What is the main culpret.

My guess is overheating during sanding.

Not dry enough to begin with - the wood was a chunk of bowl stock from Rockler.

Could the epoxy on its own cause this?

Here are a couple of pics.


Untitled by rlibson, on Flickr


Untitled by rlibson, on Flickr

This was my first attempt at a wood handle more or less and I want to make sure this doesn't happen on the next one.
 
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I knew a fellow in mid-Ohio who made bows of Osage Orange ("Bow Wood") for decades. Also made some hawk handles and pendents.

He contended that Osage Orange would always "check" unless harvested in mid-Winter and cured slowly. I know he sealed the ends with wax.

Not sure if that information is relevant to your situation at all, but if he was right (and I suspect he knew his topic), working with improperly harvested wood would lead to frustration.
 
Store bought wood but it's entirely possible it was improperly harvested.

I didn't check water content but it was waxed on the ends and was sold as stock for bowl turning so I assumed (we all know how that goes) that it would pass muster for handles slabs.
 
I have an abundance of Osage Orange and enjoy it as a hobby wood. For sure it will crack and I find if I dont want cracking in the finished piece I must be sure that there is no sign of cracks after it has cured and use that piece specifically. I generally cut it split it and let it season for a year then pick the pieces that have not cracked and much of it will. When I turn it on my lathe if Im making candle stick holders it almost always cracks some time after it is turned and it adds to the character of the piece. Im new to knife making and will try some for my scales knowing I will have to pick a piece with caution if I want it free of cracks. I also plan to use it for annealing when I get my kiln made at some point as it is dense and does burn HOT. It plays hell on a chain saw.
 
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It appears to be cut end grain, which is more likely to crack. My guess is like you said, maybe too much moisture content in the original bowl blank. When you cut it down, it shrank some more as it dried.
 
From Tennessee said:
I also plan to use it for annealing when I get my kiln made at some point as it is dense and does burn HOT. It plays hell on a chain saw.
Click to expand...

You aint kidding, pretty much ground my little delta chop saw to a halt. On the belt grinder it's slow and steady as she goes...to much pressure and it burns.
 
Looks to me like the wood still had a lot of moisture in it. I keep all wood for at least a year in my shop before I use it. It's a good idea to check wood with a moisture meter before it's used.
With the cracks you have, you can put super glue on them and then sand smooth with sharp belts. You should be ok.
 
I'd say it was a moisture problem also. I've noticed a lot of knifemakers having problem with "turning" wood sold at the specialty harwood stores. I mostly harvest my own, preferring native species to import anyways. I cut and cured out enough osage back in 2001 for probably 800 handles and have only had a few split/check like that. I harvested the osage in late April so not so sure the season is that critical, but getting the ends sealed definitely is. I check mine by weight and sometimes they take a few years to level out, but has always been worth the wait. A well ventilated attic works really well for a lazy man's kiln.

Your best bet with that one is the superglue approach Tom described. Always use fresh sharp belts at slow speeds with oily woods like osage. I usually rough out my shapes pretty close with saw and rasp before going to the belt sander....hogging causes clogging!
 
I have osage orange on a steak knife that has got holy hell for years, including the dishwasher, and it has never cracked. I've used it on a lot of knives and I've never had a piece crack after the fact. IMO, it is a wonderful material. But I've never tried any that hadn't been seasoned for years. My guess, it was still a little green.
 
I understand that a lot of turners like fairly wet wood because it's easier to turn.
Not one myself so this is very definitely hearsay.

Personally, I do by turning wood blocks, but I let them season for a year or two
before cutting into them.
 
Yall got some real patience. I bought some slabs of maple and micarta from Jantz I hope I don't have to wait or season the maple?

I haven't hit it up with superglue but will try that trick when I reach that part - thanks for the tips guys.

I don't have any wood rasps or a band saw so the slabs were cut about 3/4 inch and ground to shape...long process.

Here is a pic of it as it stands now - pretty much my first take at shaping a handle...still might take down the thickness a bit and at some point I need to figure out tang tapering cause it's butt heavy.


Untitled by rlibson, on Flickr
 
I am quickly finding out -that patience is one of the key virtues of knife making.
 
Dan is right about turning green wood. I got into knife-making through woodworking. I have been turning wood for over 10 years and I try to always turn my bowls green ( a little wet). I use one of these: http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080242/28380/Sonin-Digital-Moisture-Meter.aspx , and I recommend one to anyone using wood handles that aren't stabilized. As to the Osage (we call it horse-apple), it looks like you had some moisture still and you caused differential drying. Use CA on it and the cracks will stop you can also put a little sawdust in the crack first and then flood with CA. I love the look of the wood but I absolutely hate cutting it. I cut a ton of it though, nobody around here wants them on their property. I charge to take it down, and then sell it to turners and carvers, cut and waxed. I have about 400 board feet of it drying right now to use for knife handles, and I won't sell it to a knife-maker until it is fully cured because of your exact situation. Put the rest up in a barn or shed and forget about it for a year and check it again. It takes 1 year per inch to air dry. Hope some of this helped and feel free to ask about anything else. Good luck and have fun, by the way the knife looks cool.
Dan
 
I have noticed that waxed wood from the large suppliers has problems, they are processing so much that it does not have time to dry and they wax it to prevent cracking. With the wax on it will need to set at least a year, maybe more, without the wax a year may be good. also cut the ends off before you cut your slabs, sometimes cracks have started and just waiting for you to put some time and effort in to move a bit more.

Here is a quiz, how many knife handles can you make from 400 bf??????????????
 
I've got some diamond willow sticks stacked up in the garage, I guess I toss the rest of this chunk up there with them.
 
Not sure how many handles it will make. But if I use all of it and they all sell, well that would probably make me break even in knifemaking.
Dan
 
Question re: fixing cracks with CA and sawdust.

Sawdust then CA
or
CA then sawdust
or
Mix together with toothpick and apply mixture.
 
I put sawdust first then CA. After that cures then sand. If there is still a gap do it again. Good luck.
Dan
 
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