Wood for knife handles

ELH11480

ELH11480

Member
When using wood for knives do they have to be stabilized? I haven’t used any wood on any of my first builds.
 
It depends on the wood. Any wood that is Spalted definitely needs to be stabilized. But woods like Ironwood do not. In fact they receive no benefit from being stabilized.

Here is a link that should be helpful https://greenbergwoods.com/wood-identification-and-info/

Keep in mind not every one agrees on what woods should and should not be stabilized. There are several very good makers who have different opinions on the process.

If you pick out a specific wood for a project, you can always ask here.
 
Sean Jones said:
It depends on the wood. Any wood that is Spalted definitely needs to be stabilized. But woods like Ironwood do not. In fact they receive no benefit from being stabilized.

Here is a link that should be helpful https://greenbergwoods.com/wood-identification-and-info/

Keep in mind not every one agrees on what woods should and should not be stabilized. There are several very good makers who have different opinions on the process.

If you pick out a specific wood for a project, you can always ask here.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I will continue to do my research
 
Very few woods HAVE to be stabilized. Spalt wood is one. But even with stabilizing, you can still have issues that you may or may not be able to "fix" like "punky" spots on even stabilized redwood burl. A related question would be which woods do you not really have to apply a hard finish to? That would include the oily woods like the various members of the rosewood family and the previously mentioned desert ironwood among others. I have used stabilized blackwood once and unstabilized many times and felt that it was probably a waste of money to have it stabilized. I had one big piece of amboyna burl early on that I used in its natural state, but it was a unicorn stick like 2 x 2 x 18 that had zero voids. Other times I have used stabilized amboyna, but to me the natural stuff looks better with a minimal single application of oil after you are done sanding. Problem is that many times, the wood will not cooperate.
 
Last edited:
I have used solid (not "engineered") Bamboo flooring and lumber. The end results are fairly plain. Some I used with the layers showing, others sanded through to show the layers. It can machine sanding burn real easy. Bamboo still needs sealing well. I have not tried staining it yet...
Also, a few Acacia scales from a cutting board (oiled from manufacture) that looked amazing prior to cutting and resawing to thickness. The grain basically disappeared ending up a nice homogenous light-ish brown.
I sealed these with multi coats of TruOil.
 
Acacia is much like most other woods, some places in the tree has really nice grain, other places can be pretty plain. Black Walnut and Rosewood are a couple of examples of woods that have really nice grain in places, but other places the grain is pretty plain. The wood will still finish and look nice, but not the figured grain most folks look for.
 
People expect more from stabilization than it will deliver. Stabilized rotten wood is still rotten wood, same for stabilized pinecones. Some woods is like yes you can stabilize them but why. Osage Orange can be stabilized but remember that it has been used for fence post that last for decades stuck in the ground. I'm surprised to read that African Blackwood was stabilized. It's so full of resin that most professional stabilizers will send it right back to you, at your expense, if you send it to them.

Another thing is that stabilization will not eliminate problems with woods. The wood will still expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity. They will only do it to a lesser degree. It won't eliminate checking just decrease it.

Doug
 
Yes, Oak is ok. It isn't the best wood, (usually pretty plain and porous) but oak has been used for knife handles for a long time.
 
Austin Thrasher said:
I have used olive cutting boards that I found for a good price at our local TJ Maxx store. They turned out really nice. I can’t speak for bamboo cutting boards.
Click to expand...
Same. A couple of years ago Target had Olive Wood cutting boards with crazy amount of figure so I bought the best three they had. I bought them to do kitchen knives for myself, but people saw the pictures and they sold like hot cakes. Now the wood is gone and I can't find those cutting boards anymore. I should have bought all of them. And I still haven't had time time make kitchen knives for me. If I croaked today, nobody going through my personal stuff would even know I made knives because I don't have any to show!
 
Alden Cole said:
Yes, Oak is ok. It isn't the best wood, (usually pretty plain and porous) but oak has been used for knife handles for a long time.
Click to expand...
ok a friend gave me a pile of scraps that are a good size for handles and I was unsure if I needed to stabilize them etc.
what about apple wood i have some pieces with nice character or is that to soft of a wood and needs to be treated
 
M.J.Lampert said:
ok a friend gave me a pile of scraps that are a good size for handles and I was unsure if I needed to stabilize them etc.
what about apple wood i have some pieces with nice character or is that to soft of a wood and needs to be treated
Click to expand...
I would think apple would be a fine wood, but haven't used it myself. Try it! I didn't mean to steer you off of Oak; I've made a handful of knives with oak and it is a good wood. You will know when you need to start using exotic or highly figured woods.
 
I just got a muzzleloader rifle kit and it shipped in a wooden crate, the crate itself is no good but they used curly maple blocks hot glued inside
for bracing the parts...enough for a couple nice handles!
you never know where nice wood will pop up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top