grey oak burl handle

[jdale]

It looked ok as a block but i wanted to see what it would look like as a handle before i used it on my large skinner. I sanded it to 150 grit and threw some toung oil on it to bring out the grain. Nedless to say i dont think i bought enough of this burl

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[metal99]

Holy crap is that nice! Where did you get it?

[jdale]

There is a wood turner that lives 1.5 hrs from me, due to health reasons he had to start selling his burl collection. This particular burl was purchased on my second trip up. It was so high quality i ended up bringing back two trunk fulls when everything was said and done

[Matt Bufford]

Nice score. That looks incredible!

[metal99]

Nice man! I would live to have some of that.

[Doug Lester]

The problem with burl is that no two piece are going to be the same, though they could be close. You can even get a different look from different sections of the same burl. All you can say is WOW.

Doug

[Ray Rogers]

Ya, that's a gorgeous piece of oak. About 8 years ago a customer of mine in PA tore down a 200 year old barn that had been built from oak that was 200 years old at that time (so the wood is 400 years old now for the calculus impaired). He sent me 44 pounds of wood from the barn and after sifting through to rot, rusted nails, and crappy looking wood I came up with 5 pounds of the most beautiful oak burl I have ever seen. I've used most of it but I saved one piece that solid as a rock and large enough for two regular handles or one really big one. The coloring looks just like yours but the pattern is exactly like a piece of raindrop damascus. I'm still waiting for the right project for that wood ...

[jdale]

The burl this was cut from weighed in at 27lbs and most of it looks like this. I cut about 8 blocks so far and 6 or 7 sets of scales and i still have enough for atleast 10 more blocks and probably that many sets of scales. I cant wait until i can get a knife set in this handle

[Cthulhu]

That pattern looks ethereal, art deco-ish.

Angel Hair Burl?

It's stunning. Can't wait to see the knife that goes with it.

[metal99]

I wonder how well oak stand up to the elements?

[Ray Rogers]

Oak? As well as any wood ever has. Oak has been used in knife handles for as long as there have been knives. Have it stabilized and it's practically immortal ...

[metal99]

Nice

[Crex]

That's a very nice piece of oak. Love the squirrely grain pattern.

Ray - Couldn't save any of the nails? They would have been WI and hand forged. Always curious to understand how a fellow that is two to three generations separated from the making of some item (like the barn) can know that the materials used are that much older. Not saying he's wrong or it's not so, just be interesting to find out how he knows. If the wood was harvested there on site, that would have been a heck of a tree to cut down with an axe and plank out. Most of them fellas were so busy watching their backs for my ancestors they usually didn't take time to count rings. Guess it'd depend on how close they were working to an established fort or community. Pretty rough along the Ohio all the way up into the 1820's.

Oak is a beautiful wood and some cuts will rival any imports in beauty. Always on the hunt for those special cuts (even in my firewood pile). Know what you mean about waiting for that special project knife. I have a cabinet full of pending handle material just waiting.......and waiting......