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Yes, there are some woods that aren't fit for making knife handles with. All woods will expand and contract with the ambient humidity, some far worse than others. Others have a tendency to check on you, woods like Ebony or Snakewood. Some, like Cedar are just too soft. Then there are ones that are pretty stable. Osage Orange is one of my favorites, the North American variety. Desert Ironwood and Mesquite are hard and stable. Other good one are in the Rosewood family. Besides Rosewood, obviously, it includes Kingwood and African Blackwood. The latter is very stable as is and is so dense it won't float.
Another solution is to send the wood out for stabilization where the wood is impregnated with a resin that will harden and add stability to the wood. Not all woods can be stabilized; the Rosewoods are so oily and dense that they resist penetration by the resin. Some woods just about demand stabilization. I've had some Madrone burl that's been sitting around for about ten years. One of these days I'm going to have to cut it into slabs and send it out for treatment. Just remember that stabilization is not a cure-all. Woods that are prone to checking will probably check on you, it will just take longer. It will also reduce shrinkage and expansion with humidity, not eliminate it.
Doug
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