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Old 01-29-2004, 06:53 AM
Chuck Bybee Chuck Bybee is offline
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Stabilized Wood ? Moisture Content

I posted this on BladeForums and recieved some interesting comments. Stabilized wood seems to be a popular subject here. Please add your comments.

==============

Over the last few years of selling stabilized wood I?ve developed a theory. I?m still collecting data so it will remain a theory for a few more years. I would like to know your experiences.

I think the key to any wood remaining stable is: moisture content.

We do all the work on most of our wood. That means we:
- Buy the raw lumber
- Cut the lumber into blocks
- Kiln dry the wood blocks
- Let the wood ?Normalize?
- Send the wood out for stabilization
- Let the wood cure after stabilization
- Sand the wood to size
- Buff the wood
- Grade the wood to determine pricing (or if it goes into my private stash )

All through the process we use a digital moisture meter to measure the moisture content. Almost every block of wood gets checked five or six times. Mike Ludeman at WSSI will not stabilize wood unless it contains 12% or less moisture. We used to use 12% moisture as our maximum but now we prefer to be at 6% or less.

The reason we lowered our maximum was because of woods like redwood burl. Some of the wood containing 12% moisture warped and/or twisted when stabilized. To get the block square we ended up with an undersized block and lots of expensive sawdust. When we reduced the level to 6% the wood moved much less. I think the stabilant displaces moisture, causing the wood to move.

We have a process we call Normalizing. We consider a block of wood to be normalized when it can be moved between the kiln and storage and have no change in moisture content. Some woods take years to normalize. Ebony and snakewood are two examples. We have pieces that have been in the kiln and back into storage more than five times over two years; the moisture content still changes. We will keep working until this wood is normalized. I?m sure these pieces would move around if put on a knife, perpetuating the bad stereotype.

One test we tried was determining moisture content by touch or feel. We took turns estimating the percentage and then measuring to see how close we were. The test was a complete failure. Two pieces of wood from the same burl, cut at the same time, processed the same and feeling the same can have radically different moisture contents. We still try this test occasionally, but the results are always the same.

We built our own kiln. It is a critical tool for drying wood. It contains a heater, dehumidifier, a thermostat to control the heat, a thermostat to control internal/external air exchange, a humidistat and three circulation fans. We start with the temperature around 120? and the humidistat turned all the way up. Every few days we turn the humidistat down a few points. Every two weeks we pull a sample and test the moisture content. If we try and dry the wood too fast it honeycombs, and then is expensive firewood. When the wood moisture content stops changing, or gets down to 6%, we empty the kiln and let the wood sit on the shelf for a few weeks. If the moisture content has not changed, it is ready for stabilizing. If it has changed, it goes back into the kiln. I think the reason for the change is due to unequal moisture content in the block. We?ve noticed most woods are significantly harder when removed from the kiln for the last time.

My recommendation to knifemakers is to buy wood from us and let us worry about the problems. If you don?t want do that, buy yourself a good digital moisture meter. I don?t mean a $29.99 special. Good meters start at about $100-$120. If you are making knives with wood handles, this tool is as important as any other measuring tool in your shop. Do you make knives without measuring? Why wouldn?t you want to know the condition of your wood? Check all your wood and keep track of the moisture content. Dry your wood thoroughly before stabilizing, even if your stabilizer is a mason jar filled with stabilant and a hand pump.

If you keep records about the knives you make, include information about the handle. This information may help you resolve future problems. As a maker, I would want to know: where the wood came from, how the wood was dried, moisture content, who or how the wood was stabilized and how it was finished.
If customers call with problems, look at your records to find the pattern. If the pattern is, all the wood was purchased from the same supplier, call the supplier and let them know. The supplier should then do more investigating to determine the root of the problem. The point is, without data you will not find the pattern and you will have to guess. I think this is how some of the urban myths about stabilized wood have started. It is much easier to blame the wood than the process.

Some of you may wonder why I?m telling you what I?ve learned. The knife buyer deserves the best quality possible. When a customer posts a problem with his wood handles moving or shrinking, it casts a negative light on all of us, guilty or not.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to call, e-mail or start flaming.
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Old 01-29-2004, 07:32 AM
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Don Cowles Don Cowles is offline
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Chuck- my compliments on your thoroughness and diligence, and my thanks for posting an enlightening treatise.


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Old 01-29-2004, 08:04 AM
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Chris Daigle Chris Daigle is offline
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Thanks for taking the time to post that Chuck. Jessica said you could be long winded, but man. Just kidding! Nice to know a lot of thought has gone into the wood I'll be getting soon.

One question: for woods that are left unstabilized, what are the main reasons? Is the moisture content already low enough that the stabilized process doesn't add any benefit? Or does it take away from the natural beauty of the wood? Some that I've noticed that are left alone are Desert Ironwood, probably because it's dense enough. But another is Zebrawood, which doesn't take well to the process and turns darker almost looking like Black Palm. I still have a piece though because I thought it looked interesting.

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,
Chris
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Old 01-29-2004, 09:56 AM
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Gary Mulkey Gary Mulkey is offline
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Chuck,

I enjoyed your thoughts on drying, shrinkage, etc. Obviously you have put a lot of thought & work in this. I have been facinated with this for years since my job was to buy green lumber for a wood shop and dry it(years ago). If you want to read a scientific explaination of why wood does what it does then you would enjoy reading:

Understanding Wood-A craftsman"s guide to wood technology

by R. Bruce Hoadley


It is the best source that I have found on the technology of it.

Gary
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Old 01-29-2004, 11:00 AM
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mikec mikec is offline
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Thanks for the info. You have provided some real insite to a professional handler of wood.

I found an outstanding source for exotic woods and I thought I could just take some (that could be stabilized) and toss it in a vacum and run with it. It sounds as though I didn't have enough information and I should let the pros handle that.

Thanks


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Old 01-29-2004, 12:53 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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I've always wondered why I'd get a warped piece of wood now and then. It "seemed" dry when I sent it out but came back slightly curved. Never really bothered me though because I always made my blocks over sized. I'm talking about scavenged wood here - old barns and fence posts etc - and it definitely was not professionally dried or even cut up properly. It's probably a testament to the effectiveness of stabilizing with acrylics that, even as poorly prepared as this wood was, I've never seen a handle made from it fail ............


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Old 01-30-2004, 12:58 AM
Chuck Bybee Chuck Bybee is offline
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One question: for woods that are left unstabilized, what are the main reasons?

Some customers like to buy the wood and stabilize it themselves. Others like to dye the wood which is not possible after stabilizing.

Claro walnut, lacewood, striped ebony, limba and zebrawood get very dark and/or look bad when stabilized.

Camphor, cocobolo, kingwood and rosewood are too oily. We have noticed Bocote, redwood and thuya will weep oil after stabilizing. We let the blocks sit for a few months and they stop.

Ipe, desert ironwood and lignum vitae are too dense to be stabilized by the processor we use. When we cut the wood open, there is very little stabilant penetration.

Bottom line, if the customer wants the wood natural we will provide it.

Gary, thank you for the tip on the book. I have several books that I refer to. You can never have too much information.

We almost always take our moisture meter to knife shows. Bring your wood by our table to test it.
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