Will unstablized wood be bad to use as a spacer?

[JZknives]

So I have this thin piece of leapordwood that I want to use as a spacer. But im worried it will absorb moisture and over the years rot out while the stablized wood on top retains it shape.

Am I just overthinking it?

 

[Ken H>]

Leopardwood, or Snakewood - (I think both are the same) is a very dense wood and don't ready absorb much stabilizing resin. Most folks say this type of wood does not require stabilizing. A "fairly" good easy method to check if a wood really needs stabilizing is if it floats in water, stabilize, if it sinks in water, it most likely will work just fine without stabilizing.

Now, let's hear from the experts on this. Does wood sinking in water have any relationship to requiring stabilization or not?

Ken H>

 

[Rhinoknives1]

I am not an expert of the stabilization process but I have had MANY blocks of wood stabilized and have purchased and used MANY as well

Sinking is a way to measure the density of a wood if the wood picked up any stabilization providing the wood wasn't dense enough to sink in the first place.


Leopard or Snakewood is very dense/oily and won't really take much of the polymer/cactus juice etc.

I would just rub the snakewood down with 3-5 coats of Tung Oil with 24 drying time for each coat.

 

[Britt_Askew]

Leopardwood and snakewood are different. Here are a couple pictures of leopardwood, the one on the right was stabilized by K&G and I wet the bottom some for the picture. To me it absorbs the stabilization real good, there is a definite weight increase after. I dont think snakewood needs stabilizing.



It dont see it rotting away , my guess is the biggest problem would be when seasons change it may swell or shrink and you would feel a bump.

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/leopardwood/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/snakewood/

 

[Ken H>]

looks like an "huh-oh" on my part - Thanks for the correction.

I was thinking I'd read somewhere leopard and snakewood were the same, but from your example of leopardwood it's sure different from the Snakewood I've got. I should have double checked the woods before I spoke.

Ken H>

 

[JZknives]

I think i might have mixed it up

it might be "lacewood" not leapord wood

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Lacewood, leopard wood, sycamore, and a few other names are all used for several families of trees. Pattern differs depending on the tree size, species, and the way it is cut. It stabilizes well and looks better stabilized ( and dyed).

Snakewood is a very different wood.

It would probably be best if it was stabilized, but it won't "rot out" from under the scales.