FAQ

 

What is the benefit of stabilized wood?

By it's nature, wood is very sensitive to moisture and susceptible to many changes, such as swelling and shrinking, cracking, and rot. Stabilization is a process which thoroughly removes moisture and air from wood and replaces it with a heat cured resin. This makes the wood harder, durable, and easier to work with for detailed woodworking shaping and sanding. It also makes it possible to use wood which would normally be considered too soft or unstable for practical usage, even spalted wood and burls. This is idela for handle materials and anything that may be exposed to varying moisture levels. 

Stabilized wood is most commonly used for: knife handles, pens, gun grips, bottle toppers, game calls, rings, resin hybrid projects, etc. 

What if I want a piece of wood that isn't stabilized? 

While I will primarily be posting stabilized wood, please feel free to contact me if you see something that you would like for a reduced, unstabilized price or a custom size. I usually mill myself from larger pieces so it's entirely possible that I may have more of something available. 

Does stabilization fill existing cracks, voids, wormholes, etc.?

Resin used in the stabilization process is thin so that it can thoroughly infiltrate the small pores of the wood. For this reason it is not meant for filling very large spaces in the wood. The presence of these spaces does not indicate that the wood has not been properly stabilized.

Burl and spalted woods in particular are known for having voids or wormholes which may still be present even in stabilized pieces. It is common to fill these voids with dyed epoxy (or CA glue for smaller holes) in your color of choice.

I do not fill these so that the customer can choose the best option for their project, and because visible defects might lessen as the item is sanded and shaped. If there is any concern with an item in particular, feel free to contact me and I can provide more information or even a video of the product. 

 

Can you cut items into scales or do custom orders?

Just contact me and I will gladly resaw any item into bookmatched scale sets upon request. This will result in a loss of approximately 1/8' of thickness due to the blade kerf and additional sanding. If you would like as minimal material loss as possible, I will omit the sanding process, just be aware that the scales will arrive to you with a rougher appearance. 

If you see an item in stock but are looking for a different cut or size, message me and I will see if I can accommodate your request.  

Why are items are sprayed with denatured alcohol?

Most of the items have been sprayed with denatured alcohol in order to show the detail of the wood and what a finished, polished product may look like. This is noted in the individual product descriptions. 

I generally do not polish the items unless it is difficult to get a good representative picture by spraying them (certain colors can be too dark when wet and obscure the grain pattern). This is to help reduce the lost time and wood material that occurs from polishing (including the purchaser also removing the polish). 

Can I see a video of the product?  

Yes! The fastest way to contact me would be through Instagram and I will take videos upon request. I do not upload videos to the website so that the page loading times are smoother.