Help to identify this wood

Keith Willis

Keith Willis

Well-Known Member
I cut these out of a large limb that broke off a tree on our place.It broke off over a year ago.I am not sure the type of wood it is,I have always heard it called (Ironwood)I do know it is very hard on a saw chain so I am not sure if that is why they call it Ironwood,or if that is the real name.

Also,could someone tell me,would Tung Oil work as a sealer?
I like to use Teak Oil,but I am out. I put it in a container and put my wood in the container and close it up I add more oil till my wood will no longer float.I know this is not stabilized,but it has worked good for me.

Will Tung Oil work the same?

Thanks for any help.

God bless,Keith
 
Keith thats a nice lookin piece of figured wood. The term "ironwood" is loosely used all over the world. Theres over 100 different species of wood that are referred to as ironwood. The one that is used a lot by makers is desert ironwood and the scientific name is Olneya Tesota. It grows primarily in the sonora desert. Google for more info.....

Far as soaking the wood in oil....I think I would cut it up into oversized blocks, and let it dry. (SKIP the oil) When its dry pick out the ones that you really like and wanna use on a blade, and then send them in to WSSI or K&G and have them stabilized professionally.

Theres more "misinformation" out there on stabilizing than correct info, so if you really like the wood, and deem it worthy to display on your blades, then have it professionally stabilized. Of course this is just my 2 cents worth.......

Larry
 
You want to dry any wood before use, whether you stabilize or not. What you might do is to stabilze a block or two and finish some other handles with Linseed or Tung oil and see how the two hold up. If you want or need stabilization, the professional outfits mentioned by Larry is the way to go. Remember, however, that wood has been doing quite well as knife handles long before stabilization proceedures were developed. The softer woods and I'd say all the burles will profit from being stabilzed. Some wood cannot be stabilized due to their oil content or their appearance will be ruined by the process. Other woods are very stable as they come from the wood mill. There are a few woods that have been reported on these boards that cannot be stabized but have a bad reputation for checking and should probably be avoided even though they are great looking woods. Woods in this catagory that I have seen mentioned are the ebonies and snakewood. What the whole thing boils down to is wood sellection.

Doug Lester
 
Yea that is wood. I have seen wood. I am pretty sure it is wood. Drop it in to water. If is sinks it is Ironwood and is very dense. It can't be oiled, stained, or stabilized. It makes the prefect knife handle material.
 
Keith Willis said:
Thanks for that Larry.
What would be a good size block.

God bless,Keith
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Keith again just personal preference, but I like to go about 1.25 thick by 2.25 wide by 6 long on my blocks, and then let them dry, unless they are a really finicky species, like cherry burl seems to crack a lot, and then I go bigger yet, coat lightly with boiled linseed oil and hope for the best, and end up cutting off the waste with cracks....

The reason I like stabilizing is because you are getting the wood impregnated with acrylic (plastic), yet it still looks like wood. Theres a few that don't need it and in fact are so oily you need to wipe them with acetone before glue up, or it won't stick.

Personally, I like the bucket test. Take 2 blocks of the same species, 1 thats stabilized and 1 that is not, then soak them in a bucket of water for 24 hrs, and set them on the bench to dry. Water and moisture can be really destructive......Sometimes this lesson is expensive to learn even for some production knife companies, who have their handles split, shrink and swell as they are shipped from one location that is more humid to another location that is dry, or vice versa I think people wanna save a buck or two and so they don't stabilize their wood, but in the end, they spent a lot more money rehandling blades until finally they just decided to sell the blade itself without any handles on it at all, at about a third of the price.

Heres a pic below of a coffee table I did in cocobolo skirting (which is too oily to stabilize) and after my glue up my corners came apart, so I had to use the acetone wipe and long set epoxy, and clamp over night.

Even with stabilizing your blocks, theres no guarantees....but it helps. Anyways, just sharing some personal experiences and opinion here. Your mileage may vary............

Larry

coco3.jpg
 
Here is a cheap way to semi stabilize thin pieces say 3/8 to 1/2 in thick . Go to Rona and buy some MIN WAX WOOD HARDNER . I just put it in a jar and when it doesnt float its done, It works well on spalted and softer woods its by no means profesiional but does a pretty good job. I did a bunch of spalted beech with it and sold every knive that had it on the handle. It polishes up real nice and easy. If you do have iron wood it cant be stabilized cuzz its too oily same as the rosewood family. kellyw
 
Jim Adams Customs said:
i was always told you can't stabilized Ironwood. Am I misinformed?
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Jim I dont think the "ironwood" that Keith has there is the same as the stuff that takes hundreds of years to grow in the sonora, so I would imagine it could be done. We have stuff here in MN that everyone calls ironwood too, and its hard, but thats just a regional name, so I dunno. He could dry it out and see.....2thumbs
 
Larry,I think the stuff I have is more than likely as you say a''regional name''.As far as being dry,I don't think it will take long to dry out. It had broke off but it hung in the tree for over a year,it was then cut up and put under a shed and has been there for a few months,so I think it should dry fairly quick.

God bless,Keith
 
Keith, I'm originally from just up the road from you in the Jayess/Topeka area. My dad always called Osage Orange "ironwood". Any chance we could see a pic of the tree?

Todd
 
Thanks Todd,I was best frends with a Todd Robbins in grade school,that was just across the state line in Bogalusa.

I don't think it is Osage,I think Osage is a small tree,but I'll get a pic. I would like to know what species it is.

God bless,Keith
 
I'm with Todd. Osage,Ironwood,Hedgeiron,Hedgeapple,Horseapple, these are all the same tree. I was a woodworker and carpenter long before I started making knives and that's where I would put my money. There is also a male and female. The male is bright yellow,the female is kinda cinnamon colored.
 
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