snake wood and stabilization

[724wd]

Hello all, a newb here working on my first 3 knives. i have a small skinner blade from texas knife for my father that i am thinking of using snakewood on. my neighbor does knife handles and pistol grips (x-calibergrips.com) and has loads of wood on hand, cocobolo, snake, bubinga, zebra, thuya, etc... he uses non-stabilized wood in his grips and handles and hasn't seen a problem, but a wood supplier i talked with the other day told me that snake is horrible for checking in multiple directions without stabilizing.

the knife will have no bolsters, just wood scales. should i go ahead and have the snakewood stabilized, or would it be ok with some other type of finish?

thank you for any input you can provide.

[LYNN DRURY]

If It Is Stabilizeable Then Do It. It Won't Check And Shrink After About A Year. I Don't Take A Chance.


Lynn Drury

[Don Cowles]

Snakewood is one of the few woods that most makers don't try to stabilize. Like ironwood, it just doesn't take it well.

[Ed Fowler]

I just checked a knife that I made over 20 years ago with snake wood, it is just as I made it, no checks, no shrink no signs that it has aged. It was not stabilized.

[724wd]

thank you guys.... i think that seals the deal!

[EdStreet]

if in doubt about any wood call the companies and ask them how it does in the process.

Ed

[Osprey Guy]

As Don says, snakewood is very dense and stabilizing will have little effect. If Snakewood is properly cured you should have no problems, without stabilization. I love snakewood and have used it on a number of knives...none have come back and about 1/2 dozen were done 4 years ago.

If the wood has been recently cut with no time to properly cure, then that's another issue. The wood I used was already at least several years old (so I was told by the local exotic lumber dealer where I purchased the wood).

When you work the wood go slow and make sure that you don't get it too hot....That's just asking for trouble. Every time I've heard of snakewood checking it was most likely because they worked it too fast and too hot. If it's good wood and you've worked it properly, you should have no trouble.


Dennis Greenbaum