Burl Handle Questions

knowtracks · Post by **knowtracks** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:01 pm

I have some Maple Burl still in it's raw form that I would like to use for knife handle & pistol grips. I have read about having it "stablized" what exactly is that? Cured or Dried? And where do I send the burl to have it stablized? I assume that I need to cut the usable burl out of the log & have it in workable chunks.

Thank You
Dave

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:22 pm

WSSI is a good place to go. You will want to cut your slabs to size, otherwise you're just making expensive sawdust. The wood looks a little plastic, but even some rot (spalting) will become stable.

http://www.stabilizedwood.com/wssi.shtml This link will take you to a virtual tour and explains a little about what they do.

K & G is another but you may want to google K & G wood stabilize to find a link, I don't have it offhand.
Stabilized wood is a pleasure to work with and I have about 10 lbs of Buckeye burl at WSSI now, they work wonders with that burl. Good luck!

Give Mike a call, he will answer any questions you may have.

EDIT: This is the site for K&G although I don't see wood stabilization on their site, woth a call though. http://www.knifeandgun.com/

knowtracks · Post by **knowtracks** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:11 am

Thank You Hukk
That was exactly what I was looking for!

Dave

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:30 pm

You're welcome Dave. I should take some time to mention another guy who does excellent work, but only does his own woods. He doesn't want to accidently wreck someone elses piece of wood. He has a rather complex process that gives great wood looking scales, at least the ones I ordered.

http://www.galleryhardwoods.com/knifehandle.htm Larry does have some excellent quality woods. I ordered 4 sets of end grain black palm to get that spotted look and the quality is just great.

Larry is another nice guy to talk to.

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:34 pm

Hukk,
Thanks for the tip on Gallery Hardwoods. They are only about an hour from me. I like to hand pick the wood I use and not just order it. This could work out good for me.

Thanks,
Dale

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:00 pm

You're welcome Dale, I found Larry real pleasant to talk to. Yeah, he talked me into going to the Oregon show, I believe he will have a table there.

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:35 pm

That is great to know. I am planning on buying some supplies at the show.

We will have to get together at the show and at least say "Howdy." It is nice to have a face to go with a name on a board.

Are you bringing anything to swap or trade?
I have been thinking about joining OKCA. They have a members only day on Friday, April 13. Also admission to the shows is free to members. I think the annual dues are only $25. Pretty good deal, IMHO.

Dale

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 6:13 pm

orvet wrote:That is great to know. I am planning on buying some supplies at the show.

We will have to get together at the show and at least say "Howdy." It is nice to have a face to go with a name on a board.

Are you bringing anything to swap or trade?
I have been thinking about joining OKCA. They have a members only day on Friday, April 13. Also admission to the shows is free to members. I think the annual dues are only $25. Pretty good deal, IMHO.

Dale

Sounds good, I'll probably stay at my folks in Medford to visit and drive up to Eugene. I'd stay at my brother's in Milwaukie, but I tend to get lost up in the Portland area, even though it's much closer.
I don't plan to bring anything to sell or trade, just look and maybe buy a couple things that catch my eye.

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:01 pm

If you get up to the Portland area you could go to Gilmer Wood. Their stuff will blow you away! Have you seen their web site? http://www.gilmerwood.com/

I love to go in and look through their bargain bins. I get some nice wood for a lot less because they are checked or have some other flaw. I just cut my handles out of the good wood and throw away the rest.

Dale

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:18 am

I saw their website and I called them up looking for something special. They did not have it in the right size. I was looking for pieces of red palm that would have an end grain of 1.5 x 5 inches with no pith. Well, they were down to their last and could get me 1.25 x 4 inch with pith. They may have it in the future, so, I'll be calling back. The end grain of palm is real striking to look at when it has been stabilized and put on a knife. The wood they get is by stripping the outer layer off, palm is actually related to grasses I hear.

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:26 am

Here are a couple pics of a piece of Red Palm I got at Gilmer Wood. They a lot of knife blocks there. they are usually 1" X 1.5" X 5". They usually sell from $3 to $7 depending on what it is. I bought the few remaining blocks of Mexican King wood that they had left. Mexican King Wood is no longer on the world market, so is very hard to get. I think I paid quite a bit more for the King Wood.

They have a whole section of shelving about 6' X 10' that is bins of knife blocks & all different kinds of wood. I find some nice stuff there. They don't list the knife blocks on their web site either, (at least I haven't found them). You kind of have to go in and dig through the bins & find what you want.

Here are a couple scans of a piece of Red Palm & some King Wood that I got there. The end grain of the Red Palm is much more striking than the sides are.

Dale

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:25 am

you are officialy the source for these beautiful woods. how do i order some hand picked (by you) examples? nice looking. maybe a trade of local woods from tejas?

editd f4 splng

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:24 pm

Johnnie,
PM inbound.

Here is what King Wood looks like on a 152OT modified with finger grooves. It does loose some of the purple coloration.

El Lobo · Post by **El Lobo** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:44 pm

That's a real good lookin' knife Dale.

Bill

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:37 pm

Thanks for the complement Bill.
I made that one last year, when I bought a bunch of 152OT blanks. I got to experimenting with putting finger groove in the handles. I think it really improves my grip in the knife & looks cool to!

Here are a couple more for your viewing pleasure. Sorry, it is not a great scan. The handles are L to R: King Wood, Presentation Grade Bokote, and Water Buffalo horn jigged to look like Impala.

Dale

knowtracks · Post by **knowtracks** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:29 am

Good looking knives!

I've always liked that Schrade pattern & you have dressed it up nicely.

Dave

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:49 am

Thanks Dave.