Teak for handle?

[Dingo]

i have just demo'd an old building and have found a big plank of teak, i wondered if anyone had used it for knife handles? or have any other use's.

it is very tightly grained and extremely hard.

Adam.

 

[weaver]

It would be a shame to cut up a big plank for handles. Don't know a furniture maker? Can't think of a larger project?

It would work well for handles, but teak is such a nice wood for so many other things.

 

[John Fenna]

Find a bigger project AND use the off-cuts for knife handles....

 

[Black Sheep]

I was just looking on "Thorogoods timber site" to id some wood I've got and spotted this about Teak:-

"Teak is strong and hard but is rather brittle along the grain. It enjoys a world-wide reputation owing to its durability and small movement in fluctuating atmospheres."

Possibly not the best wood for a handle if it might split?

Rich

 

[BorderReiver]

I used teak to rehandle a Mora 2000 blade.Works a treat.The knife is purely a rough use knife for the garden so doesn't have to look pretty.
Teak is a very oily wood and looks after itself very well.

EDIT: Keep a look out for old parquet floors if you're in the habit of demolishing old buildings.There are some lovely blocks of nicely figured wood used in the older floors.

 

[John Fenna]

Might split along the grain?
Use it cross grained in a stacked handle?

 

[jojo]

Teak can be brittle, but no more than some other woods. I have used it for handles and as said previously because of the high oil content does not need any treatment to preserve it at all. No reason why you could not use it. If it's any good, I wouldn'd mind a bit of it

The only drawback is that it can be a bit boring to look at! But, if the wood you got hold off is from an old building, that could be completely different because what you would have then is "old growth" which is far better quality, probably less brittle and denser, possibly with better grain, than the carp you get (at vast expense) nowadays.

 

[eraaij]

I rather like it for handle material. It has a nice feel to it. It is not as spectacular as Masur Birch, but you can get patterns like this:

Blade is from M . Eklund, in AEB-L

-Emile

 

[topknot]

Hi, my brother knife has a teak handle and had no problems.
topknot.

 

[jojo]

Hi, my brother knife has a teak handle and had no problems.
topknot.

Your brother looks like a nice chap the knife is not bad either

 

[topknot]

ye that's his little helper