Teak Knife Scales - "Best" Natural, Wood Scale All-Arounder? Underrated?

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St33L

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I got to thinking... teak is used in bathrooms, decks on boats and at the home, outdoor furnitures, etc. From my limited research, it seems like an ideal wood for all sorts of applications and weather, not just for use in wet and humid climate conditions. Teak is incredibly water-resistant, which is why it's used in bathrooms and boats in the first place. It's relatively lightweight, has natural oils and silica for water-resistance, it's durable, far less prone to warping, etc.

However, it doesn't seem to be used in knives nearly as frequently as one would assume, at least in accordance with the impressions imbued by teak. Expensive, yes, but so are the exotic hardwoods used in knives all the time, so that isn't a compelling reason (at least not to me) to not see teak used as often as these other similarly expensive woods. Stabilized woods aside, in its natural state, is teak an underrated wood for knife scales? Should it be the ideal wood of choice? Is it too difficult to sand, shape, and work with - but, relative to steels, is it that big of a deal? What's superior to teak for all-weather protection? Other thoughts and considerations?

One example I found on the 'net:

3077544247_a7500ba18f_o.jpg
 
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Underrated - yes & no. Teak isn't a looker, especially after weathered-in ;) Brazilian Teak (Cumaru) is on or near top among teak species, it's very strong & tough due to interlocking grain.
 
St33L said:
However, it doesn't seem to be used in knives nearly as frequently as one would assume, at least in accordance with the impressions imbued by teak. Expensive, yes, but so are the exotic hardwoods used in knives all the time, so that isn't a compelling reason (at least not to me) to not see teak used as often as these other similarly expensive woods. Stabilized woods aside, in its natural state, is teak an underrated wood for knife scales? Should it be the ideal wood of choice? Is it too difficult to sand, shape, and work with - but, relative to steels, is it that big of a deal? What's superior to teak for all-weather protection? Other thoughts and considerations?
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Well. I'm sure if people wanted teak handled knives, makers would make them.

Do I? No. I find it boring. If I am going to pay for an expensive wood, I want something more visually appealing.

And I have never had a water problem with any of my wood handled knives.

And what's superior to teak for all-weather protection? Where to begin? How about micarta?

My two cents. There may be other reasons entirely for its lack of popularity.
 
Agree with most. Except teak is less brittle in sub-zero temperature comparing to synthetic materials.

marcinek said:
Well. I'm sure if people wanted teak handled knives, makers would make them.

Do I? No. I find it boring. If I am going to pay for an expensive wood, I want something more visually appealing.

And I have never had a water problem with any of my wood handled knives.

And what's superior to teak for all-weather protection? Where to begin? How about micarta?

My two cents. There may be other reasons entirely for its lack of popularity.
Click to expand...
 
Hmm. Great question. I wonder what the pros and cons are to other woods, too.
 
St33L said:
Compared to other woods...

Aesthetic appeal is a good reason.
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It does seem to be used and easily available as knife scale blanks.

So, for its "unpopularity," I'm sticking with:

Cost/water resistance/brittleness/visual appeal ratio doesn't make it appealing over other woods and man made materials.
 
I find teaks appearance to be rather vanilla, despite its qualities for a knife handle. Another wood that is not used, but I find beautiful, is mahogany. I put a set of mahogany scales on my Fallkniven H1 and love the look, feel, weight. Mahogany has some beautiful grains as well.
 
Desert Ironwood Burl, FTW.

fr3v_desert_ironwood_burl_379_95_dlt.jpg


It just looks so complex and has a real depth to it. I don't know... whatever floats your boat.
 
I have scaled a Spydie mule in Burmese teak. It has held up well, but looks plain.It was easy to work, comes up with a good finish. It has moderate hardness, really only just hard enough for knife scales.
Many timbers that look good in furniture size pieces look boring on a 4 inch knife handle. Burmese teak is one such, Indonesian teak is even less interesting. The example in the OP is the most interesting piece of Teak I have seen, but what Teak is it? There are many different, unrelated rainforest species around the world called teak.

A history in shipping is not that great a recommendation, IMO. Many timbers were selected for rot resistance & price, rather than strength & wear resistance. Teak is good planking; resilient, springy & rot resistant. It is decent stuff, & if you find a nice looking piece, it is OK for scales. Most pieces make a better coffee table, though.
Huon pine is an Aussie species that has a great rep for boats. It is soft, weak, expensive & extremely rot resistant. People still want it, though.
 
I rehandled a kitchen spreader with ipe. It gets soaked in soapy dishwater and run through the dishwasher. The only refinishing I've done to it is put some mineral oil on it once or twice a year. Boring grain, but has held up well.

Ric
 
I think it has to be because despite the suitability of teak as a knife scale/handle, it is pretty non-descript. There are plenty of more visually interesting hardwoods that approach the durability of teak.
 
Is teak hard enough for a good handle with only an oil finish? I'm not saying it won't work, but wouldn't a good finger nail dent or gouge it? My woodworking experience extends only to luthierie, but I wouldn't classify teak in with the other disireable hardwoods as far as toughness, strength etc.
 
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