Thread: Physical Properties of Common Woods

Hello Gents,
I just wanted to let you know that I uploaded the document under Great Straight Info. It can also be found on http://www.csudh.edu/oliver/chemdata/woods.htm, but I'm a big believer in redundancy.
The author, Oliver Seely created this a Public Domain document and I am taking this opportunity to thank him for his contribution/generosity and to thank Josh for posting the link in Sunday's chat.
I hope it will come in useful.

WOW!

That's great!

However, for me it seems like a LOT of useful information that I'm not quite sure what to do with, or understand. As a matter of fact, it seems like most of my school career!

Is there going to be a quiz later.................

C utz

The two most important ones are wood density and elasticity. Generally the best scale woods are the ones at or better than water density (1.0g/cm^3) and elasticity is also important when deciding whether the scales need bolsters or not. Check out the values for Ironwood and Cocobolo to get a better idea of what you need.

Just an fyi... there are many ironwoods. The term "ironwood" is sometimes used to denote any wood with a sp gr greater than 1 -- ie, it sinks in water. The one listed in that chart (Rhamnidium ferreum) is not the ironwood we commonly see used for razor scales (which is Olneya tesota, commonly called Desert Ironwood and has a sp gr of 1.15 - 1.2+).

BTW, IMHO denser does not (necessarily) equate to better... many of the denser woods are very hard to work with (for reasons other than hardness) -- they might be too oily, brittle, stringy, etc. to use without special accomodations. You need to wear a respirator when you saw/sand them (the dust is very fine and caustic due to the oils/resins in the wood) and they can dull tools instantly. I find many woods in the .7 range and above make fine scales and handles... just like many 5/8 razors shave as well as those 8/8s

Excellent information from all. I too have been trying to find information of this sort, both as it relates to razor scales and brush handles made of wood. Thanks for filling some of the gaps in my database.

Where does this all fit in with 'stabilizing' the wood? In terms of, "the wood falls under these conditions, so it is best to stabilize it." The next logical question (from me) is how does one stabilize the wood, and with what?

C utz

Chris...

Send it to these guys. http://www.knifeandgun.com/

They stabilize it and then charge by weight after it's done. I just got a bill for $135 but I have enough wood to make scales for the city of Pittsburg. It's actually reasonably priced to have done.

Basically, stabilized wood is wood that is put in a heated vacuum chamber where polymers and resins are injected to create "epoxy" wood.

The only wood I do not stabilize is coco bolo and desert ironwood.

So then, would I be wrong in assuming that if the wood is not stabilized it might eventually dry out and crack? If this is the case, do people stabilize horn too?

How can you tell if a set of scales has been stabilized or not, is it just experience with woods that would let you know?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm just curious.....

C utz

Chris, don't apologize as I'm also curious about your line of questioning.

I'm headed to pick up a box of stabilized wood, ivory, bone, antler and oosik.

Only dry can be stabilized. Stabilized wood is not 100% plastic, and is not 100% waterproof. It is, however, much more water resistant than unstablized wood.

Imagine that the cells in wood are like a bunch of tiny balloons (untied). If they absorb water, they swell. Stabilization doesn't tie the balloons shut, it reinforces the the balloon walls, so they can't expand or contract. therefore they can'tswell and take on water or shrink and crack.

(that's the best explaination I've ever received, anyways.)

I would say that just by looking at a piece of wood, you couldn't tell if it had been stablized or not. I've got some stabilized brushes, both wood and horn, for sale in the vendor forum, and appearance wise, there is little difference.

The guys I send my material to REFUSE to stabilize Cocobolo and similar rosewoods, since the high oil content in the wood tends to reject the resin. Very dense woods, like Ebony, Desert Ironwood, Lignum Vitae, Leadwood and a few others don't need to be stabilized. All are dense enough that they will sink in water, so they are naturally very water resistant. other than that, most woods will benefit from stabilization, be it the better finish, better cut or strength or water resistance. Especially soft or spalted wood.