# Rosewood for chisel handle advice



## cms1983 (Apr 25, 2012)

I wanted to is this rosewood for chisel handles. May do London pattern handles want to us a schlagring , for they are mortise chisels. Now the wood as you can see has some sapwood and would like to cut it out. But if it is deeper then I think you think that would cause a issue not sure how punky that sap would be. It feels ok just don't want to waste my time and wood or can I leave sapwood in?


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## cms1983 (Apr 25, 2012)

I have a lot of cherry, I have been on the fence with which to go with. Also the rosewood has sat for 4 5 years. With wax it should be dry right?there is a whole side with heart wood taken long to upload pics


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Your rosewood looks a lot like some blanks I purchased from Woodcraft, totally encased in wax. This means very little moisture will be lost. Good for Woodcraft since the piece as sold will not have any cracks.

Once you remove the wax, then normal moisture loss will start to occur. For this blank I would not expect cracking, but I would expect some warping.

The sap wood is not necessarily punky. Sap wood is frequently less dense than heart wood, but is normally solid.

The sap wood shows some zone lines from spalting, but I am not seeing much in the way of decay.

I personally like a mix of the colours of sap wood and heart wood, but this is personal preference. Some folks do not like to see sap wood.

I think your blank sap wood may be solid, but once you remove the wax, not sure what the internal moisture content will be compared to your shop environment.


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## cms1983 (Apr 25, 2012)

That's where I got it woodcraft. I like contrasting colors in wood too that's why I got it. So maybe rough it out let it sit? I have a small metel shop( lookin at houses with a bigger shop can't wait) And when the doors aren't open it gets pretty hot. Could that have helped dry it even with wax?


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## cms1983 (Apr 25, 2012)

I got a piece of yoploi wood don't mind spelling ,from them years ago I assumed they were dry turned it and cracked to hell turned a smaller piece of rose wood I got the same time has the bigger piece and it was ok. But no Guarantee this would do same


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

The wax is used to prevent moisture loss. Hence if it works as intended it is a barrier to prevent moisture loss.

If you remove the wax, it would be best to take a moisture reading, or ideally weigh the piece on an accurate scale, note the weight on a piece of paper and weigh each week until the piece stops losing weight. This means it has then reached equilibrium with your shop.


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## cms1983 (Apr 25, 2012)

I know the wax stops moisture from been removed from the wood. Wasn't sure if it kept all moisture from leaven the wood if a little bit would creep by or not I guess not. I'll measure it till it stops droping weight just got to get scale. That's why I haven't done it that way. Thanx


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