I finally finished another knife. This one is 9" OAL with a 3/16" O1 blade. The handle is some sort of stabilized wood. The file work is a new pattern for me and it really tested my file skills.
Thanks everyone for the kind words. Art and Ausbrooks, I thought it was maple also. I have worked with stabilized maple quite a bit but I have doubts after working down the handle. It was much harder than any maple I have worked with. Maybe it was stabilized differently than the other stuff I have worked with. I hope I come across more of this. It was a pleasure to work with and it looks nice for a nonburl type of wood.
Great looking blade. In regards to spalted tamarind... its a pleasure to work with and it finishes well, especially when stabilized correctly. The heart wood tends to be harder and look better, especially when spalted for a while. Here is a shot of brush I turned from some of the better stuff I've owned.
That brush looks great. The piece of tamarind I bought at Wood Craft was stabilized very well. It cut great with a file, sanded very nicely, and polished well. I have worked with some "stabilized" wood before that didn't seem all that stabilized. Some of the stabilized wood from Jantz Supply didn't act very stabilized.
How do I get a brush? I shave with a straight razor and a good brush is nice to have.