Finish and Polish for Knives

Couple of photos of a Rich Hale Knife The dark handle is snake wood,,,the spacers are african blackwood and nickel with black liners,,,the light piece is oosik

My next door neighbor has a custom cabinet making shop and I can get the smaller left over pieces of any exotic woods he uses in the cabinets. This wood is sawn in board form. My question is, is the wood from straight sawn boards suitable for knife handles? or does the wood have to be sawn or split a certain way to get the grain running in a special direction.

Where can I get/make knife handle pins? I am makeing a wood working tool for my step father for fathers day and wanted to have it ready togive to him this weekend, as I won't be here next weekend. I am almost finished (I will post pictures) but I just need to know where or how to get pins or any other way to holde the handle on. By the way this is probably my first peice that is worth has turned out ok. Its sort of a scratch awl one end with a blade/markier on the other. I seen a picture of it a few days ago and remembered what I had seen. Thanks in advance for any help ^.^

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