Where to find Honduran Rosewood?

B

bc777

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May 15, 2019
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I'm looking at having a knife made by a local knife maker and I've seen some pictures of Honduran rosewood that I really like. I've searched on the internet for places that sell it but noone has anything that really stands out. I've also found a few guys that used to sell it on here a few years ago but have since stopped. Any ideas of where I can look? I'm hoping to find some that has some sapwood on it as well as the darker rosewood colors.
Thank you!
Blake
 
It is CITES protected and also kind of the preferred substitute for Brazilian rosewood so it's not all that easy to find. Burl Source and Greenberg Woods might be able to help you, but neither has any listed at this time. I have one pair of killer burl scales that I have been sitting on waiting for the right project.
 
I hear Honduras has some left.

Seroiouisly, you have to shop around. Also, if you don't know your woods, you may buy something else sold as Honduras Rosewood.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I hear Honduras has some left.
Click to expand...

Honduran rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii) is mostly from Belize, formerly British Honduras which is presumably the source of the Honduran designation. All Dalbergia species are subject to the CITES restrictions now, so one has to have permits to export it. Additionally, the government of Belize has instituted a logging ban until such a point that they believe it can be sustainably logged again. I think most of what gets out nowadays is old salvage.

But, there's a bunch of stuff already in the US. It's actually not too difficult to Google some sources, and you can find the wood for sale on eBay, Etsy, and Instagram. Search using both "Honduran rosewood" and "Honduras rosewood". Right now there's a listing on eBay from a reliable seller I've bought from for a turning block that has sapwood on it, and priced for less than $11. I see a block from a different seller for just over $5. So it's out there if you look for it like Stacy said.

If you're looking specifically for the burl, that stuff is a little rarer and more expensive. HRB is my favorite wood, but I've been able to save a decent amount of it, probably more than I'll ever be able to use LOL. Below is a knife I made with some that I'd been saving for a few years, and I was really jazzed how it turned out. The figure and movement in the wood is amazingly beautiful.

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One thing you might consider if you can't find a piece that you really like, you might consider other striking woods like bocote. Both desert ironwood and cocobolo will make very striking knife handles when you have both heartwood and sapwood showing.
 
Pop's had slabs and blocks of Honduran Rosewood Burl a few years back. I bought four or five slabs and cut out blocks from the best areas. I had it stabilized. Really lovely wood.

Nice knife Milkbaby.
 
yes, I also remember having taken from Pop some very beautiful pieces that he brought some years ago to the Knifemakers Guild show in Kansas city.
 
Thanks for the help guys. I did look at the pieces on bell forests website but the few pieces I liked the grain on had some cracks and weren't very square on the backsides so would need a lot of epoxy to fill in. I did find a beautiful 5 inch block on eBay for about $20 that I purchased last night so hopefully it turns out ok when I cut into it.
 
Check local hardwood sellers. I see various rosewoods at my local Windsor Plywood. I’m in Western Canada though.

Edit: I see you found some.
 
Around January of 2008 IIRC, there were a couple of guys at the Gator Knife Club show in Lakeland, FLwho had a table full of Honduran rosewood. One of the guys worked in Belize and had grabbed a pile of stuff that came form the government. I have said jokingly for years that the wood came from old growth trees cut down to build a road to an ecotourism site. ;) This stuff wa sick. I bought one piece of what the guy called "Belize back." This is a bad pictures of what those two little blocks looked like. The monosteel hunter is the black stuff and the blade was 115W8. The damascus knife has the lighter piece. I wish I had bought whatever he had. I actually sat on these for a long time before I was actually confident enough to use them. IIRC, this got made in like 2011-2012. IMG_0018.jpgIMG_0049.jpg
 
Not the clearest pics but that's the piece I found. Think it should turn out pretty nice.
 
In last year,I find the Honduran rosewood will be logging ban,so I buy about 500KG wood to garner.....Is buy too much??
 
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