Where to find wood blanks for scales over 5" long

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oharal

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Jan 21, 2013
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Hello real life knife makers! I'm planning to make a set of Blackwood scales for my new-to-me Benchmade AFCK which is 5 1/2" long but all the scale blanks I can find are only 5". Do you guys have the hookup for me? I've looked at several online retailers after doing some googling for Blackwood scales but 5" is just the magic number I guess?

Thanks!
 
I don't know of any currently, but I would keep a watch on Burl Source, who regularly posts here on the forum and has a website. They cut larger pieces all the time, you just gotta wait to see if they ever get any blackwood.
 
Do you need stabilized wood? If not, many really dense hardwoods can be used without stabilization and can be found in any city hardwood supplier. I buy my wood in 12" lengths so I can have longer scales when needed. As a rough rule, any wood over 0,8 specific density will probably be hard enough without stabilization and a proper hand rubbed oil finish. See density here: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/african-blackwood/
 
Willie71 said:
Do you need stabilized wood? If not, many really dense hardwoods can be used without stabilization and can be found in any city hardwood supplier. I buy my wood in 12" lengths so I can have longer scales when needed. As a rough rule, any wood over 0,8 specific density will probably be hard enough without stabilization and a proper hand rubbed oil finish. See density here: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/african-blackwood/
Click to expand...

I don't think I need stabilized wood. I don't really fully understand stabilization but I haven't bothered to research it either. The walnut scales I made for my Kershaw Skyline (in sig) were cheap scales not stabilized or anything and I was really happy with how they came out. As far as getting them at a local supplier, is Blackwood something you can just go out and buy? I got the impression it was kind of an exotic wood or something you had to go out of your way to get.
 
I have bought Bocote, Cocobolo, Ebony, Zebrano, Rosewood, Paduak, various Mahoganies, Wenge etc. at my local Windsor Plywood. Look them up- they are beautiful woods. There are several other local suppliers for exotics her such as P.J. White and a few others. I ordered some wood from Burlsource and it was top notch. Highly recommended. It was stabilized, but I usually use denser woods, or more oily woods that don't require stabilization, or stabilize well. As another general rule, the oilier the wood, the harder it is to stabilize, and the less likely it needs it. The dense hardwoods around 1.00 specific gravity (the point they will no longer float) will not need stabilization. Stabilization is the process of impregnating the wood with resins. It makes spalted, figured or otherwise unstable woods useable. For reference, Black Walnut is about 0.7, and hard maple about 0.85. I am new at knifemaking, but I have been working with exotic woods as a hobby for 25 years.
 
Thank you for the info! I'm very new to this stuff and certainly am not a craftsman. I just do it for fun. The walnut I used last time seemed fairly brittle but I didn't have to cut it very thin. The scales I want to make now will be under 2mm thick so how will Blackwood stand up at that thickness on the table saw? It's pretty strong, right?
 
I have no firsthand experience with blackwood, but from what I understand it is like Ebony. I have worked with a fair bit of Ebony as fretboards for guitars. Tools must be razor sharp, or the interlocking grain will tear. Sharpen your tools to razor sharp, and use abrasives (sandpaper etc.) like they are free. The oils in the wood MAY clog sandpaper, so it may be worth your while to use steel wool in increasing fineness instead of sandpaper.

For finishing, if you can find Watco brand danish oil, you are in luck. If not, mix pure tung oil 25%, mineral oil 25%, varnish 25%, and bees wax 25%. Rub the danish oil in daily, then rub clean the next day, until it no longer absorbs the oil. At this point, use 400 grit sandpaper and "wet sand" the danish oil into the wood. The slurry will fill the pores. Once dry, steel wool the excess off, then repeat with 600, then 800 grit sandapers. Buff, then use bees wax to polish. You will have to "touch up" the finish once or twice per year to maintain for several lifetimes. This is my favorite wood finish, and I hope to do my next set of cabinets in this type of finish. It feels like soapstone in your hand. For drier woods, this can take 14 due to the 24h dry time of the danish oil, but I recently did some Brazilian Tigerwood (very oily) in 7 days.

Here is another member who used the same technique. It turned out beautifully: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1057836-Re-handle-question
 
I have some Tru Oil for finishing gun stocks that I used on my skyline scales will that work the same?
 
I haven't used it myself, but from what I read its similar. Try it and see. The worst case scenario is to strip it and redo the finish :) (Probably will be fine) I think Nick Wheeler uses Tru Oil IIRC.
 
I would try looking at Bell Forest Products (http://www.bellforestproducts.com/exotic-wood-blanks/). They don't sell any stabilized wood, but if you are looking for dense or oily species like Blackwood, it won't matter. They also offer some larger sizes for inlay, instrument-making, etc. They also offer tool handle and baseball bat blanks...

They are a real pleasure to deal with as well... Great service.

TedP
 
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