# Which woods are easier to work with?



## knyfeknerd (Jun 27, 2012)

I'm interested in making another western handle soon. Which woods sand easier? My first try was with Madagascar ebony and boy was it a beeaatch to work with. Are all stabilized woods going to be like this?


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## Dave Martell (Jun 27, 2012)

If you want something easy to work with that will give nice results pretty much guaranteed then look at stabilized maple.


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## kalaeb (Jun 27, 2012)

Dave Martell said:


> If you want something easy to work with that will give nice results pretty much guaranteed then look at stabilized maple.



+1. I love maple! 

Walnut is very similar.


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## Burl Source (Jun 27, 2012)

I agree about stabilized maple, with the exception of heavily spalted stuff.
With Maple you can rub it on a rock and smear it with bacon fat and it will still look good.

If you have difficulty working with any woods send me a PM or call me and I will do what I can to help.


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## RRLOVER (Jun 27, 2012)

Redwood is very easy to sand.I find for myself the softer the wood the more difficult it is to work with.


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## ncowan (Jul 2, 2012)

Bocote is a dream to sand and doesn't require stabilizing due to its oil content , just seal it with 2 coats of ca glue. Preferable zap.


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## pkb (Jul 5, 2012)

If you have a respirator, I like Cocobolo or other rosewoods. They polish up SO nice without needing to mess with a finish. Just don't grind the end grain fast with a dull belt (which goes for maple and most other woods as well). I'm also surprised that more people don't work with olivewood.


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## apicius9 (Jul 5, 2012)

Burl Source said:


> With Maple you can rub it on a rock and smear it with bacon fat and it will still look good.



That's an innovative finish  I agree with the maple, stabilized koa is not too fussy either. Redwood burl can be so different, I had it from soft like a sponge to very dense, all after stabilizing. But maybe the heart wood is more consistent. I had used some olive a few years ago but ran out, didn't find a good source, and then forgot about it, thanks for the reminder. The blanks I had at the time were so dense that I didn't bother with stabilizing, but it may be the smarter thing to do. I never had much luck with walnut, for some reason I find it more difficult to finish to a shine than most other woods. And rosewoods, while dense, can be easy but nasty. Today I just drilled into a piece of ebony without a mask and had to sneeze for a minute... Definitely use at least a good mask for fine particles.

Stefan


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