Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Cutting wood for knife scales

I could use some feedback. Had some surgury in Jan and when I felt good enough I started making handles for knife blanks I purchased. So I am pretty much a novice. Finished 4 knives with some walnut I had on hand. Looking to do some out of wild cherry. The walnut all had nice grain, very figured. The cherry is straighter grained and I was thinking of using some sapwood as well. What is the best way to cut some selected pieces from the base and some crotches for the best figure to show. I watched a few videos on quarter sawn and now I am confused. I think cutting at a 90 degrees to the grain but not sure. Can you use crosscut end grain for knife scales or are they to easily broken?

Do you cut cherry different than oak or walnut?

I do some woodworking but I always just selected what I liked from traditional sawed wood that we cut ourselves. Selecting parts of the tree and cutting for the best figure is what I want to learn. I think it comes with experience but looking for suggestions.

I would be willing to send some scales for the right help!

Thanks
Chinook3

ONCE i cut up some mountain mahogany for knife scales. The wood came from the area where I hunted. I started with a nicely aged dead snag. At the time I had access to a machine shop. Using a large band saw and cutting with the grain I cut planks. Then cut them into large scale size. Splitting occurred at the ends. I then milled the scales flat and to thickness; didn't have a planner. Used the material for my set of kitchen knives and they have held up well. The amount of time I had into the scales was excessive and prevented me from ever trying it again.

I sent the balance of the inventory to MichiganRoadKill and he may share his troubles.

Yeah Rick, I still have a box of that special gift.
It is very cool, but cracks and brittleness are an issue.
I did a few knives with it and one has a "repaired" handle that broke at a corby location.

I was given some chunks of desert ironwood also to cut up and use. More voids and faults in that
stuff than was productive when I got done cutting it up.

The extreme age, twisting and bends of these two woods make it quite a challenge.

I was also given some chunks of "curly" oak. Again, the end result of scales was a very small
fraction of what I started with.

I have pretty much told myself to buy scales that someone else has cut up and to only buy
stuff I can handle and look carefully for character and faults.

Chinook3, all I can say is try to visualize what the wood will look like inside before you cut it and then
have at it.
I do not know the best way to cut up large wood chunks for best results and would think that
results may vary from chunk to chunk as wood can have surprises hidden inside. Some good, some bad.

Should cut wood be stabilized, somehow?

I would hate to think grampas knives fall apart.

Chinook3

I know about having it dry.