Many of my handle designs, such as The Defender, Tank, TDS-Companion, TDS-Gentleman, & Mr. Big,  take much larger or wider scales, than the industry standard.​ For this reason I cut, dry and prepare most of my wood for stabilization, myself.

   I have many wonderful wood suppliers. I am extremely selective and often I will have to look through a thousand pieces of wood before I find just one that catches my eye.

                                       Some of your wood choices

 

 Spalted Wood; Dramatic black lines and Multi colors

      When a tree passes away and lies in the forest, and everything is just right between the moisture in the air & the soil conditions...a fungus will grow through the wood creating beautiful patterns in the form of lines and multi colors.

      Most all wood can spalt in some form or another, typically I use Spalted Maples, Hackberry, Pecan,Oak and many others.

 

  Amercan Box Elder Burl; Natural, Spalted & Dyed all the way through

  Box Elder Burl has many fascinating traits:

       Most notably for its ability to take colorful dyes( from bright Turquoise, Lavender, Reds,vibrant Greens) All the way through the wood. All wood can be dyed, but the big difference is that Box Elder can soak the color all the way through the wood...like a sponge. this means that when you sand the wood the color stays relatively the same. Also..Box Elder is noted for its ability to produce multi colors upon the dyeing.

      Also, when Box Elder burl spalts...it can produce pink tones.  This is very, very rare but when found, it can produce a most beautiful set of scales combining creams and pinks together.

 

Amboyna Burl; Deep Reds, to bright oranges often mixed with creamy sapwood.

      Amboyna Burl originates from South East Asia, from such countries as Cambodia, Thailand & Laos. There are many varieties of Amboyna and the color varies from region to region...always beautiful!. The wood is a bit harder than most and can actually lighten in color with Ultra violet sun exposure.

Golden Amboyna comes from the same species, but originates from the Philippines and some of the surrounding islands and countries. It is also lighter in weight than the Red to Orange Amboyna Burl.

 

Buckeye Burl; Blues-greys intertwined with creams and black or red eyes.

       All of the wood I use is hard to find. Or should I say, I am extremely picky and it is hard to find wood from a species that interests me.  Buckeye, in some ways...is the hardest for me.  As each piece tends to be unique.  I love just the right combination between the Blues-greys & creams..finding them with the right kind of eyes is a plus. There are two species of Buckeye...California and the other from Ohio. I use both, but California is the more common species.

 

Desert Ironwood; Dark to Caramel Browns, often found with some black lines or  dark streaks.

       Desert Ironwood can be found in Arizona and in the northern Territories of Mexico. This wood is increasingly becoming very hard to find with the kind of figure that I like.  Considered by many to be one of the hardest woods and a favorite amongst old time knife makers and collectors. Currently one of the most expensive woods to purchase.  A beautiful wood that will darken with Ultra Violet Sun exposure and or develops a rich Patina.

 

Black Ash Burl; Light to darker Tan color sometimes intertwined with creamy sapwood.

            Of all the Burls I have seen, Black Ash Burl might be the Tightest eyed burl there is( most amount of eyes per square inch)

And sometimes this burl can be found with a creamy Sapwood combination creating a beautiful two tone effect.  This wood comes from some Northern States such as Minnesota & Michigan. This tree is highly endangered due to a bug infestation in its regions.

 

Afzelia - X-Lay pattern;   Light orange to spalted tans

        Afzelia comes from South East Asia. Typically I get it from Laos. Although Afzelia can be found in burls...The X-Lay pattern is what I search for. It is completely different than any other natural wood pattern I have seen. It is very, very hard for me to find a piece that has a distinct enough pattern for me to use. Sometimes Afzelia spalts...and produces a darker tan color resembling Volcanic Ash. Afzelia can lighten from Ultra Violet sun exposure.

 

Bubinga;  Reddish Browns sometimes interwoven with Sapwood.

          Bubinga comes from Africa.  A strong reddish-brown wood with beautiful stripes and or wood grain.  Sometimes the Sapwood will be cream with silver highlights. Quite beautiful when combined with heartwood-sapwood for multi tones.

 

Black & White Ebony;  Deep, thick Black lines with Gold background

             Another wood from Laos.  This is the hardest wood for me to prepare. It Typically takes three to four years to properly dry this wood and can crack in the drying process very easily. Very hard for me to find the exact pattern I like...and very hard to dry this wood...but when it turns out....it is Awesome!

 

Other great woods:

 

Tiger Striped Pink Ivory;  from Africa, Pink in color

 

Marble wood;  from South America, Tan and light Purple lines

 

Honduras Rosewood; from South America, Dark brown-purple with darker streaks

 

Lace Redwood; from California, from deep brownish red to light brownish red color

 

Tiger Striped Koa;  from Hawaii,  Golden Caramel color

 

Malaysian Blackwood; from South East Asia, dark black with dark black lines