what's a good wood for knive handles??

[crazell]

hello. i have three knives i need to make handles for. these were blanket prizes at few rendezvous out here in oregon.. the top knife is 12" long, the middle one is 9 3/4" long, and the bottom one is 5 3/4" long. i have a friend who does wood floors for a living, and he's going to let me look through the scrapes. he has hickory,cherry, oak and a few others. any suggestions about for look and durability??  these are the first handles i've tried.. no sense wasting the wood... i'm very thankful for this site and all the wisdom you can get!!!!

[Razor]

I use most any wood that strikes my fancy..
Tho I am partial to Walnut.
I've used oak, ash, hickory, walnut, purpleheart, zebrawood, teak, ironwood, briar... ad neauseum..

[William]

Walnut is nice and dense, looks good and is easy to work with. What works for flooring might not be the best choice for a knife handle though.  Oasage orange always looks good IMO although I understand it can be difficult to work compared the other favorites.  There is always maple, the more curl the better.  If you can find a piece large enough, mesquite heartwood has deep, rich red-brown tones but is easy to split, take your time working it and always keep your tools sharp.

[dfoster]

Walnut and cherry tend to be my favorites with curly maple being a close third. Apple wood makes nice handles, too. If you're just starting out, I'd suggest staying away from the really hard woods, ie ash, ebony, rosewood, etc.

And from my experience, hardwood flooring is a pain in the posterior. More work than it's usually worth to get it ready for use unless you get a one of a kind, too beautiful to pass up piece.

I have a few good pieces of wood that would make good handles for you to start with. PM me your address and I'll get a few pieces together to send your way.

[crazell]

thanks greatly. i'll send an email. tonight.  

[ErikPrice1@msn.com]

 Hey crazell you need a shovel handle for that big one.

[Watauga]

Hey crazell you need a shovel handle for that big one.

Yep that would make a Pike man Proud!

[Hammerhead]

persimmon wood is my favorite looking and smelling when it is freshly skinned but there is no way i would ever cut down my persimmon tree cause i love them persimmons

[crazell]

don't blame you.. but we don't have that type around here..

[ErikPrice1@msn.com]

 Brought up some oak 1x4 from cali they were gonna throw away. This stuff should work, right

[William]

Brought up some oak 1x4 from cali they were gonna throw away. This stuff should work, right

It will work, just keep in mind that oak isn't usually the first choice for making into knife handles (scales).  Keep your tools sharp, buy a few extra sheets of sandpaper and watch out for splinters.  Since oak is so hard it may not take up much stain so a dark walnut stain might come out light brown, almost tan, you may just want to use an oil finish.  Post some step by step pics if you have to time.

[dfoster]

I agree with what William said on the oak. The biggest problem is it's not always straight grained. That's what causes it to crack, chip, and splinter. It can be used, just take your time and go slow with it. Nothing worse than having time invested just to see it ruined at the end cause you got in a hurry.

[crazell]

i will keep that in mind. thanks william and dfoster. this is why i enjoy this site. 

[ErikPrice1@msn.com]

 Thanks for the info.

[crazell]

i'm thinking of using hickory and cherry, and a black walnut. we're going to use hickory on the top one, hickory and cherry together on the the bottom one, and black walnut on the middle one...