Why are Damascus Box Elder Burl 21s $50 more than other woods?


Thx I'll order some Ren wax. I didn't want to use anything that would alter the wood for future resale value.
 
Darkera said:
It goes without saying that a sliver of black cherry wood is going to be cheaper than 10 board feet of black cherry wood. Looking purely at the cost of materials, there is no way these small box elder burl inlays cost anywhere close to $50, which I think is what Basedlarrydavid was asking about.

Of course burls are not as common as the trees themselves, but the fact is this is a very, very common tree in N. America and therefore the likelihood of coming across nice burly specimens is higher than in a less common tree such as butternut. I saw prices around $5/sq ft for box elder burl wood, that's a lot of inlays! I wonder how CRK is purchasing the burl wood, maybe already as stabilized blanks pre-selected for showy grains/textures? I doubt they are sawing an entire burl looking for that perfect piece.

As I was writing the word, "unscrupulous" I thought it was too strong of a word, but charging a $50 premium for this kind of wood is not based on the particular tree species, rarity, or any objective measure, at least from what I can gather. Don't get me wrong, these inlays are stunning, but $50 for box elder burl wood is a little much. I can see for rare and exotic lumber or some historical material, but not box elder! It's odd that it costs more than bog oak and Macassar ebony.
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I think you are making a fair statement, which I do not receive as CRK bashing. If we compare BEB with Bog Oak, as you mentioned too, Bog Oak is a few thousand years old and CRK imports that material from Denmark. I don't understand that markup either, although I do like BEB.
 
I would think that Box Elder,like most woods is graded.I would also think that CRK has a preferred vendor of their wood for the inlays. It could be that despite how common Box Elder is, to get the best grade in the size needed with all things considered, I’d bet it’s more expensive to get select pieces.
From what I understand, Box Elder is considered a low grade hardwood that is used for smaller applications such as wood hobbyists. It’s easy to work with, but is subject to having soft spots. Don’t know how it’s stabilized or if the process is the same for all woods.
I have seen small pieces of other woods priced higher in hobby stores. Don’t really know why.
 
Fact is CRK often prices things in ways that have nothing to do with the amount of material. Take for example replacement blades which are the exact same price whether you want a mnandi, small 21 or large 21. I'm sure time and demand both factor in.
 

Damn, that Amazon is "fast"! I ordered it on Friday after 9pm right after Lone Wolfe suggested it and USPS just rang my bell with the package . . . on Sunday yet at 2pm.
Amazon got it here to my desk even before I have the knife as it's not coming until tomorrow! I'll try this wax out on my Spalted Beech inlays.
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BE is stabilized through an intense process that pressure bonds resin into the wood at very high PSI inside of a sealed metal chamber which makes it very durable. I’m not sure how much cost this adds, but I do know that some of the other woods they use don’t need to be stabilized.

My used BE Mnandi that I carry in slacks to work has held up incredibly well- still zero signs of scratches or marks on it. I also use Ren Wax.
 
tank sniper said:
Where did I state that they were a vendor for CRK?
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You linked some random site that sells Box Elder and figured that was their vendor. Without knowing who their vendor is, posting random site does not even remotely reflect the prices CRK have contracted out.
Being in the plumbing business, I run into this all the time. Someone shows me a picture of a fixture and how much cheaper it is on line and asks why I can't offer what appears to be the same thing at the same price. Sometimes, it's not what it seems. People usually pay more in labor to have an on line purchase installed and would have been better off buying locally. When you put pen to paper and do the math, it's a no brainer on where to buy. I've installed the same set of faucets three times, each time charging a service call fee. But, they got it cheaper on line......yea!!!!
 
I think most reasonable people can concluded that stabilized box elder burl is not as valuable as CRK is pricing it for... I am a CRK fan but I am not willing to pay for something that is way overpriced.
 
It's very simple. Burl is not as common as plain wood.

Some species of trees may have more burls than others but there is guarantee that chunk will yield usable material. And once you've cut it up there's not putting it back together to make something else.

So for a knifemaker especially a very long established one it's very easy for them to look at the numbers and see what it's costing them to use a material. We have X amount coming in at Y $ and Z amount going out. We have to charge this much for that material.

If they are charging "too much" and people don't buy those knives then they will either reduce the price or discontinue the material.
 
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