Help needed with properly preparing mesquite for handle scales

D

dwstinge

Joined
Dec 5, 2011
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Hi guys. I cut down a mesquite tree at the family farm I grew up on today. Im wanting to make a few knives for family members using the wood.
Whats the proper way to get this wood ready for use? Quick research I found shows to cut it a little larger than the size you are needing. Then let it dry over time.

Anything im missing? Any tricks anyone would like to share? Thanks in advance!
 
Seal the ends with something like Anchorseal and dry according to established charts. If memory serves, mesquite can have ring/wind shakes if not dried properly. Once dried, it's one of the most dimensionally stable woods in the world.
 
MBB said:
Seal the ends with something like Anchorseal and dry according to established charts. If memory serves, mesquite can have ring/wind shakes if not dried properly. Once dried, it's one of the most dimensionally stable woods in the world.
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You lost me on the anchor seal part. Would you please detail. As it happens I have mesquite that dried in the Arizona sun for years. My Arizona family is waiting for me to figure out how to finish it for kitchen knives.
 
If the tree was dead, cut it into logs or oversized blocks and store them indoors a while, 3-6 months. If the tree was alive, then cut it into logs, paint the ends, and leave it a year at least. Mesquite has a lot of variation between subtypes. Some is soft, other is super hard. Depending on what you have, stabilization is generally helpful.
 
You can also use wax or wood glue to seal the ends after you cut it. And you want to seal the ends right away, like as soon as you cut it. It can start to check and crack in minutes.
 
Thanks so much guys! I guess i will be waiting a year because this tree was still alive. But that's OK.
Jason Fry, Are you the same Jason Fry from the Texas Bowhunter Forum?
 
A.McPherson said:
You can also use wax or wood glue to seal the ends after you cut it. And you want to seal the ends right away, like as soon as you cut it. It can start to check and crack in minutes.
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Sometimes I cut the bottom couple inches off my wife's candles in the living room and melt that down to put on the ends to seal them:). Worked wonderfully until the children told on me one day.
 
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