Wood prep Questions

CrookedPath

CrookedPath

Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
39
Someone gave me this big ole chunk of walnut, and I would love to use it for knife handles. Before I do I wanted to get some advice from some of you. Right now it is in a chest freezer to kill all the bugs what might be in it. There are cracks, but they dont go all the way through. I will be sending it off for stabilizing. I guess I just need some advice on how to break it down.



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So, a few comments.

First, are you sure that's walnut? I may specialize in exotics, but I know walnut and that looks absolutely to light. There's no heartwood/ sapwood line

Second, even if it is that's no promises it would look good for knife handles. I stabalize crotch walnut or curly walnut. Just plain walnut like simply isn't all that interesting, or worth stabilizing

And if you really want to break it down, you would need a big bandsaw. And someone who knows how to use it.
 
I am sure of nothing. A student gave it to me telling me she got it from a woodworker that was leaving town and didnt want to take it with him. He told her and she told me it was walnut, so yeah, it could be anything. The photo with the ruler looks like there is some nice spalting. Is that just on the surface? I may have access to a big bandsaw. Lets assume I do.
 
I think I may see a heartwood/ sapwood demarcation. Hard to tell if its faint ot just dirty.

The surface well could be spalted, but you run into another issue. Most spalting is a black type of fungus. What you have their looks a little more like brown rot, which can cause the surrounding wood to become weak and punky.
 
i have cut A LOT of English walnut for firewood in the past few years. it looks like that when it is dry and exposed to the air (perhaps also from the sun, i couldn't say as all of mine is exposed). If you cut it, it will be darker on the cut.
 
Nice looking black line spalt in that walnut sap wood. Can't mistake the walnut bark on that piece. Cut it up and should have some nice handle stock.
 
That looks so split and possibly(?) spalted that I would question it''s durability while working into a knife handle or scales. There may also be a hard time filling the cracks and fissures, to make it look good as a finished product.

I recently purchased a beautiful set of what looked to be solid/sturdy spalted pecan from a supplier and was two steps away from screwing and gluing them onto a knife tang when one of them cracked through relatively easily. As the pieces get thinner, they get much more fragile. Spalting and cracks don't help.

I'd suggest that you go to one of the vendors that have replied to your question and check out the alternatives to stabilizing that log.

You will probably get more figure, depth, and strength than what may be achieved by spending time and money on the walnut and the cost does not have to be exorbitant.

Mike
 
If you are looking for woods for handles, you could shoot me a PM. Im sure I have something you would like

If you are intent on milling up that walnut, I would shoot an email to Mark Farley. He runs Burlsource and is the real domestics master. I mostly deal with exotics.
 
I'm use to Walnut looking more like this:


Of course this one was given away a long time ago, and I can only hope it became something nice.


Not sure the deep freeze is going to be good enough to 'kill the bugs', that usually requires 'heat'. Bugs go through the winter months in the northern states, frozen solid, and come out when it warms. I believe the temps required to kill off bugs and their 'youngins' is 140*F for at least 7 continuous hours.




Scott (yes, I mill lumber) B
 
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