blood wood

S

stax

Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
146
Anyone use that blood wood for handles? I used some last night and I thought it was pretty bad. It split when I drilled it and it was real flaky around the drill holes. Not to mention the fact that it smells like puked up hay.
Should this would be treated somehow before use or stabilized somehow?
 
Go slow on the drilling clearing the shavings often, and tape off the back side of the scales to help prevent blowout. You should already be using brad pointed wood bits, but I can tell you are not. Buy a couple brad pointed wood bits(they're cheap @ Lowes) in the appropriate sizes. Drill your holes as normal, stopping when the point of the bit JUST comes through the bottom side. Use the stop on your height adjustment to set for this. Next turn your scale over and drill through from what was the bottom side. There you have it, one blow out free hole.
Bloodwood can be stabilized, but I was told it was one of those woods that does not HAVE to be. I've used both stabilized and unstabilized and the only difference I found was that obviously the stabilized polishes better. Here's a pic of a knife I did a few years ago w/bloodwood bolsters:
Matt Doyle
CIMG0489.jpg
 
Nice..... Thanks for the info.. I can get a little impatient and that's what happens I guess. I'll try those bits too.
 
i didnt mind working with it i rehandled my old Tramontina Bowie and rescaled a 40's Dunlap Cattleman in it, very waxy wood i chose it because i liked the color and i didnt need to be stabilized... Turned out really well for my first stab at it
i would use it again, didnt notice the smell you reference though:confused:
ivan
 
I've always preferred Paduk, and they look very similar. Paduk is toxic though, so be careful.
 
Mine was very dry. I did get some of the Cocobolo? That wood is very nice and dense. It has some nice colored striping to it. Blueish, yellow, brown and red. I tossed the blood wood and I will go with this stuff.
 
indy said:
Matt, what's the other handle material?
Click to expand...

The other handle material is black dyed boxelder burl. Boxelder sometimes has red streaks in it, when it is dyed another color (ie. black) the red does not take on the color of the other dye.
Matt
 
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