Knife Handle Materials
Knife handle material for finishing your blank: stabilised and natural wood, micarta and G10 scales, blocks for hidden tang builds, and the pins, liners and spacers that hold them together.
The four families
Stabilised wood — natural figure, resin impregnated so it does not move with humidity. The best choice for a kitchen knife you want to look at.
Natural hardwood — walnut, olive, rosewood, padauk. Depth of colour no synthetic matches, needs an oil finish and a little care.
Micarta — linen or canvas in resin. The best grip here, and it gets grippier when wet. The most forgiving material to work with, which makes it the right choice for a first build.
G10 — fibreglass in resin. The toughest option, fully waterproof, the usual pick for hard use knives.
What else you need
Pins, liners and spacers for the assembly, and scales and blocks in every material above. Scales are sold oversized so you have material to shape away.
Working out what to buy? Read choosing knife handle material, then how to attach knife scales for the build itself.
Related categories
Related reading: how to attach knife scales with pins, Corby bolts and epoxy and how to turn a blade blank into a finished knife.