Which wood for a wooden knife? And finishing?

M

milkbaby

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I was thinking of making a one piece wooden knives as little sandwich spreader/cutter or butter knife thingy for christmas gifts. Was just gonna pop over to Lowes or Home Depot in town for some craft wood. I've seen oak, pine, and poplar over there up to about 1 inch thickness if I recall correctly. I bet walnut and olive would look and work great, but that's something I'd probably have to buy online, trying to avoid unless really better bang for the buck performance-wise (more likely to last, won't need as much care, etc).

Seems like pine and poplar would have less open grain so easier and more hygienic than oak (though I like the hardness of oak)? Any suggestions on best way to finish the wood? I was just thinking homemade cutting board butter/conditioner (beeswax melted in mineral oil).
 
If you are looking for something at a box store go to TJ Max and pick up a olive or bamboo cutting board. If you want bamboo you can probably get a sample from a flooring store. I thing that will be better than anything from home depot.
 
lots of wood workers prefer poplar for spoons and bowls because it has no flavor and is soft and easy to shape. food grade mineral oil is a good finish. most of the fancy cutting board oils you see are just mineral oil in a fancy bottle. I buy mine in the laxative section at the drugstore, 12oz for $3.
 
I have an abundance of eastern rock maple and it works well for spatulas, i have been meaning to make a couple spoons a large spork and some butter knives....
 
Are you planning on hand carving them or doing it on a sander? If you're carving them, I'd recommend using green wood. I like carving fruit woods in particular, but maple and walnut work real well. Depending on where you live, you can probably just go out a find downed wood or a friend that has a fruit tree that needs pruning, etc. I'd avoid oak (too open of pores) and most pines (weaker and resinous). As far as finishes go, I wouldn't use mineral oil as it doesn't polymerize. Instead try either raw linseed/flax oil (NOT boiled linseed oil) or walnut oil. I use a mix of partially polymerized raw linseed oil with beeswax (brand-name: Tried and True) and let it sit in the sun for a few days.

I'm pretty new to knifemaking, but have been hand carving wooden spoons and spreader knives for a few years. Good luck!
 
Italian knife makers make knives for cutting polenta [corn meal mush ] and often use olive wood for a beautifully grained knife .I've made a few from hard maple though not really great grain.
 
The best thing i ever did was befriend a furniture and wooden box maker. I have all the little cut off pieces i can handle. Jatoba, cocobolo, blackwood, mesquite, spalted maple, cherry, walnut, various burls, all kinds of stuff. I don't even know what half the stuff i got is. Do your research and find a woodworker near you and bring one of your good knives and make a new friend.
 
MBB, to my knolledge only the dust can be toxic, not the wooden end product
And working with it you can protect yourself
 
Personally, I would use a hard wood with an attractive interwoven tight grain. Cumaru ( Brazilian teak or Tonka Bean) is a good choice. It can have a very interesting pattern to the grain, is very hard and dense ( like lignum vitae), and will need no finish. The color is reddish brown.

Woodcraft has it right now on special now - a 24X6X1" piece is $7. About 10% of the pieces they had have the woven grain.

Argentine Lignum Vitae is another good choice. It has a natural greenish color.
 
How many do you need I bought a box of walnut scales (in stabilized) there was close to 20 sets scales in there. About 1.5-2in wide to about 5in long. Anyways if you need a few I could send you some
 
Spalted said:
I have read stories that some of Napoleon's soldiers were poisoned because of the wood they used for skewers.
Click to expand...

That is a very old story .... over 200 years old. It is told about all sorts of armies, campers, and more recently a whole boy Scout troop roasting hot dogs. The wood is almost always said to have been Oleander. All are wives tales, and false, as the wood would convey a very small amount of toxin.

A few woods cause a reaction when working and sanding, but very few have enough toxin/irritant to have an issue once the wood is shaped.
 
Use the web and search for a custom cabinet shop in your area. There were 4 or 5 shops just north of our old house. Their dumpsters were always full of trimmings from hard maple, ash, oak, walnut, alder, and others. I could fill up the trunk of the car for free in a single trip.
 
Thanks everybody for the great info and advice! I knew if I just asked, y'all would have great suggestions! :thumbsup::)
 
Hengelo_77 said:
MBB, to my knolledge only the dust can be toxic, not the wooden end product
And working with it you can protect yourself
Click to expand...

Rosewoods tend to be sensitizers, with repeated exposure causing progressive symptoms. Actually a lot of woods do this. If you run through the history of modern hand tool (saws, planes, etc) makers on boards like Woodnet, most abandon rosewoods or become severely allergic (including pulmonary complications), and the ones who stick with it tend to protect themselves aggressively (respirators, protective clothing). I did a lot of woodworking in the past and I've personally become sensitized to several exotics (e.g. goncalo alves after one use such that I literally cannot touch it without gloves).

It's your call, but for something associated with eating, I'd lean towards benign-ish domestic woods. If you look up what spoon carvers like Peter Follansbee use, it's along those lines.

https://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2017/09/21/september-spoons-for-sale/
 
Interesting examples, I'm mesmerized even more watching full process on how they are made. Good videos are available at YouTube, awesome process with many millions views. I'm a novice right now in to this, but I'm increasing my knowledge fast with guide for wooden lathe for 2020 and have already some understanding. Will practice more from small project to more complex ones and even will try in future with my skills to repair house issues or even build something additionally. Excellent hobby in the time of lockdown.
 
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