English Oak heart handle wood

Von Gruff

Von Gruff

KNIFE MAKER
A couple of weeks back my cousin had a notice from the power board that the very large oak tree on the edge of their property was going to need trimming to keep it from the power lines. They quoted over $2000 for the work so it was decided to take the tree down altogether so I got a call to see if I wanted some of the crotch pieces which I duly went and collected.
This morning I set too with the chain saw and slabbed it into more manageable pieces then between the bench saw and the draw saw I got it cut down into drying blocks. I will paint the ends to prevent too much cracking but I expect it will be at least 12 to 18 months before it can be made into handles but there is some nice pieces to look forward too.
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Paitence is a virtue that I have trouble accessing at times so I have a fan on low speed blowing on it continuously to help with the drying but it will still be the end of next summer before it will be dry and stable enough for handles. I am going to try to ebonise a few blocks to see how that works. I dissolved some steel wool in vinegar and added some brewers tannin to it and have a few blocks of old oak cut in the 50's but as for adding colours to it I am not sure that would work as well as it does on the burl woods. Will probably run it through my vacuum pot though.
 
Von Gruff said:
Paitence is a virtue that I have trouble accessing at times so I have a fan on low speed blowing on it continuously to help with the drying but it will still be the end of next summer before it will be dry and stable enough for handles. I am going to try to ebonise a few blocks to see how that works. I dissolved some steel wool in vinegar and added some brewers tannin to it and have a few blocks of old oak cut in the 50's but as for adding colours to it I am not sure that would work as well as it does on the burl woods. Will probably run it through my vacuum pot though.
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I thought that ebonizing oak was done by fuming it with ammonia. My understanding is that the tannin in the oak reacts with the ammonia turning the oak dark. The longer you fume, the darker and deeper the color goes. Please correct me if I am incorrect. ( it would be the first time today that I was wrong !!!)
 
Stack them with slats in between them to keep good air flow and leave in nice dark area. for grins you might coat a couple of pieces with yogurt to promote spalting and see how it turns out.
 
mike miller said:
Stack them with slats in between them to keep good air flow and leave in nice dark area. for grins you might coat a couple of pieces with yogurt to promote spalting and see how it turns out.
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As you can see from the pic they are laid on the bench with fillets under under them to allow for air circulation and will not be stacked. I have not needed that end of the saw bench for a very long time so they can sit there undisturbed till they dry.
 
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