Exotic wood and hardwoods for knife scales and handles.
Black Palm
Tropical Asia & Africa
Wenge
Central Africa
Spalted Tamarind
Native to tropical Africa
Purpleheart
Central & South America
Bocote
Mexico & Central/South America
Redheart
Southern Mexico to Southern Brazil & Paraguay
Curly Maple (natural state)
Continental U.S.
Curly Maple
(after nitric acid etching)
Continental U.S.
Curly English Walnut
Eastern Europe & Western Asia
Curly Koa
Hawaiian Islands
Bhilwara
Southeast Asia
Zebrawood
West Africa
Cocobolo
Central America
Curly Mango
Tropical Asia & Oceania
Tasmanian Blackwood
Native to Tasmania & Eastern Australia
Desert Ironwood
Southwestern U.S. & Northwestern Mexico
Macassar Ebony
Southeast Asia
Morado (Pau Ferro)
Tropical South America (mainly Brazil & Bolivia)
Leopardwood
Central & South America
California Black Walnut
California & Oregon
Ambrosia Maple Burl
North America
Ziricote
Central America & Mexico
Selecting a Wood
Full tang or hidden tang knife handles are usually synthetic constructed material such as micarta, G-10, or epoxied material. Knife handles are also made of natural material such as bone, antler, and wood. Wood is the most common and many species are fragile or soft requiring the wood to be stabilized. This process makes softer wood or spalted wood hard through the use of a vacuum chamber, stabilizing liquid, and heat. The results are hard blocks of wood that are able to take a lot of use and punishment. I use wood stabilization when needed and can help you decide on the handle material in customizing your knife.