Wood Handles for Hard-Use Knives..Your Experiece??

[Marion David Poff]

So,

There is this local maker who prefers to offer his knives with wood handles. And given that I really respect his style and artistry, I am planning on buying a couple of his knives with wood handles. But, I have very little experience with wood handles, and have heard all sorts of horror stories about them moving and cracking, etc.

To the point-

1) What has been your experience with wood handles in use?

2) Any wood rise to the top as a proven performer?

3) Sought after characteristics would be reistance to moisture, toughness, what else?

4) What 5 woods would be the best for a knife handle?

In short, what all do you all know about wood for knife handles that I should know?

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

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[JW]

Nothing wrong with wood handles or scales if the wood is properly stabilized. Others can tell you more than I can about proper "Stabilizing" methods.
Don't know your definition of "hard use" but my most used hunting knife wears cocobola handle scales and is as pretty as the first day. Cocobola has a high oil content and is a very hard wood. When I think of it (maybe once per season) I seal it with a coat of Renwax or SnoSeal. It has been used to field-dress and butcher big game, small game, salami, fish, etc.
Ironwood is good. Kingwood near equal IMO.
Walnut is good if tight-grained and stabilized. some can be quite porous tho.
Hard curly Maple is good and looks nice.
You don't see it much but Osage Orange (aka hedge apple in some parts) super hard and durable.(It will throw sparks if you cut it with a chainsaw in dim light!)
Worst wood handle knife I own is Granadillo wood. Pretty looking wood but it swelled. may not have been properly stabilized.

 

[Marion David Poff]

Thank you.

MDP

 

[blademan 13]

I like wood handles a lot. Have never had any problems with them. I try to avoid the porous woods or those that need finishing. Through my limited experience I have found Desert Ironwood, Lignum vitae, African Blackwood, Kingwood and Bocote to all be acceptable. These are very dense, heavy and oily to varying degrees. They all can be very beautiful as well and the beauty extends all the way through. The Lignum Vitae is the heaviest of all hardwoods and was used by Marble's at the turn of the century in both handles and pommels. Many of these survived and are in as good as shape today as the day they were made.

Most makers who regularly test and use their blades will know what works and what doesn't. I have always really liked the look of dark Curly Maple. I have a 9" Camp Bowie on order with Matt Lamey. I explained to Matt that this knife would see a lot of heavy use; chopping small trees, clearing brush and the like. Matt had no problem putting Curly Maple on this knife and he knows it will be used hard.

As far as durability is concerned I don't think there is really much to worry about. Consider that no knife handle will ever experience the impact forces that one encounters with an axe (which also lacks any tang material to help give strength). Yes, axe handles do break, but usually from abuse to the handle area just behind the head as the result of missed blows or contact to this area when splitting curly or knotty blocks that fail to split evenly. Most axe handles are also not cared for nearly as well as an expensive knife either

 

[JW]

Wood axe(and hammer)handles are usually hickory. Don't know why you seldom see it in a knife handle. The grain is not particularly interesting.

 

[bladezealot]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Marion David Poff:
So,

There is this local maker who prefers to offer his knives with wood handles. And given that I really respect his style and artistry, I am planning on buying a couple of his knives with wood handles. But, I have very little experience with wood handles, and have heard all sorts of horror stories about them moving and cracking, etc.

To the point-

1) What has been your experience with wood handles in use?
i used to say that i needed more guns, for the grips i wanted

i love the grain patterns in different woods. really enhances the beauty of a knife.the knife still has to be a user, but a little pretty does'nt hurt

as long as the wood is stabilized, or properly sealed, i have had no problems.a knifemaker-friend of mine seals his wood scales, or handles, with superglue! works well.
2) Any wood rise to the top as a proven performer?
1-heavier rosewood,2-african blackwood,others are cocobolo and mordadillo, as well as lignum vitae, curly maple.
3) Sought after characteristics would be reistance to moisture, toughness, what else?
grain structure of course enters into it in a small way, but you have of course, toughness and moisture resistance uppermost in mind.choosing the nicest grain is of course very subjective, but i like curly maple alot. some of my aforementioned wood choices are not that "showy", yet are attractive none the less.
another knife maker-friend of mine said he has seen many older fixed blades[50-60 years] with the heavier [denser] rosewood handles, these handles have withstood the test of time favorably.
4) What 5 woods would be the best for a knife handle?

see my response to question 2.
In short, what all do you all know about wood for knife handles that I should know?

</font>

i hope this helped. not only my opinions, but 30 years of knifemaking experience[picking my buds' brains].

personally, i have blades with bloodwood, cocobolo, mordadillo[very sturdy],curly maple[also a nice choice],birds eye maple,...off the top of my head, i know i'm skipping some. i have been pleased with all.
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russ aka bladezealot
a cat almost always blinks when hit in the head with a ball-peen hammer.
cats: the other white meat[courtesy of VG]

[This message has been edited by bladezealot (edited 03-29-2001).]

 

[Tom Anderson]

You should also be aware that there are two main species of maple.

Sugar (rock) maple is the hardest and is used for things like cutting boards and bowling alleys.

Big leaf maple is the softer variety.

These two main species of maple can work VERY different.

"Curly" "Birdseye" "Quilted" and "Flame" refer to types of figure in woods, not species.

Walnut also has my species which can look and work VERY differently. "Claro" "American Black" "French" "English" and "Turkish" are some of the more popular species used in gunstock making. Unfortunately, some folks grade and segregate walnut "species" based totally on grain density and figure.

You can find out a lot about various hardwoods in the book "Gunstock Woods and other Fine Timbers"offered by Brownells.

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Tom Anderson
Hand Crafted Knives