Thread: Scales shrunk
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Old 04-13-2017, 08:26 AM
WNC Goater WNC Goater is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Lester View Post
Bob, I'll have to disagree with you on your pronouncement that one should never use wood that is not stabilized. There are wonderful handle woods out there that simply cannot be stabilized due to there density and oil content. There are others, like Osage Orange, Desert Ironwood, and Mesquite that will do just fine without being stabilized. I don't know where people got onto this stabilization kick when wood has been used to make handles for knives for millennia.

As far as moisture content, I'll have to agree with you there.

Doug
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Hatfield View Post
Doug, I was not clear in my statement. I did not mean you should never use wood that has not been stabilized as I do know there is certain woods that is very difficult to stabilized such as desert ironwood, coca bolo that are a great wood for knife scales in their natural state.
what I meant if you use wood that is not stabilized, it should have a moisture content of 6% or less to prevent shrinkage as the wood dries out on the knife.

^^That^^^

Knife handles, axe handles, shovel handles... all manner of wood handled tools have been used for hundreds of years without professional modern-day stabilization processes with no problem. But the wood does indeed need to be DRY or it will shrink, crack, curl, bend, etc. That is a natural process of drying, so it needs to be dried BEFORE using in pretty much any application from tools to cutting boards to furniture.

As Bob says further up ^, the wood has to be dry even before it can be stabilized.

Having said that, if you're not sure, don't know, or don't want to worry about it, as Ray suggests use stabilized wood.


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