snakewood

[bowman_79]

I was thinking about picking up a little snakewood. Before I do, I thought I'ld ask if anyone had any experience with it. I read that the snake pattern eventually darkens to the point that the pattern disappears. Is that true? If it is, how long would I have that beautiful figure to show off?

[Chad Sivertsen]

UPS just brought a couple of HEAVY boxes with a bunch of exotic wood and there is some snakewood in there. I have no previous experience with snakewood but have never heard of it losing the pattern.

In my experience all wood darkens with exposure to sunlight and other elements, the degree of that change varies with the various wood species.

[MJB]

Here is a Tom Turpin box caller with a snake wood paddle. Probably made in the 1940's , if you look closely you can still see some of the snake pattern left. Over time it will loose the figure.

When working with Snake wood is prone to cracking and checking even before you work with it.. It is beautiful wood.


 http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j297/treeyelpr/DSC01162.jpg

[beachbowhunter]

I kinda like the looks of it too....    

[kerry@work]

I've not heard of it losing its pattern over time.

It does check worse than most any other wood I've worked with.

Is there a more expensive wood out there? Partly because it takes 10 years or so to fully cure.  You'll often find it in log form because of the checking (buyer beware if its still in log form). I've heard it a very slow grower( decades to grow 1 inch in radius) but I'm skepticle.

[MJB]

BEAUTIFUL  

[Nakohe]

Norm at Blacktail bows makes a "Snakebit" verison of his T/D bow that is breathtaking. I have one on order.

[Crooked Stic]

Dont leave it unsealed. I am talkin totaly sealed even overnite it will check.

[James Wrenn]

Great looking but is about as unstable as you can get in a wood.I would not use anything other than thin pieces unless it had been treated to stabalize it and even then I would not trust it a lot.It cracks if you look at it wrong. :)Pretty stuff best used as overlays. jmo

[JC]

I love snakewood, I don't think there's anything else out there with the same pattern. I've had it in a bow or two as well as knives. I know lots of people talk about it's tendancy to check etc., but I guess I've just been lucky. Here's two knives that have fairly thick pieces. Both are about 6-7 years old, used in about every temp extreme you could think of, and both with nothing more than a very tiny check or two around the edges. The color has darkened ever so slightly in that time, though it's only enhanced the pattern in my opinion. Sorry about the multiple pics, just couldn't get the lighting right to show you how pretty this stuff is.

 

 

 

 

To me, it's beauty is worth a bit of a gamble on it's stability.

[Elk77]

Snakewood is one of the most beautiful but most expensive woods on the market. Its also called Letterwood or Leopardwood. Its so expensive because there is only 10 percent of this small tree's heartwood that is highly figured making this wood very rare.

[Shakes.602]

WHOA!! That First Picture looked like a FlashBack from a Bad Acid Trip!!      :rolleyes:  
  That snakewood  IS  Very Cool though!! Is there anyway to make that Pattern Permanent? That is too Cool. Where does it come from? Zimbabwe or Australia, or some other Country that isnt even  CLOSE!!  to Indiana??  

[MJB]

Beautiful knives    

Snakewood comes from the forests of Central and South America.        

[JL]

Man,do I love snakewood! Some of the premo snakewood is sold by the oz! Here is a Bob Thompson custom cue made with snakewood,and I had a very hard time letting this one go;

 

The small pic makes it kinda tough to see but this cue is simply stunning!

JL