Florida Wood Series: Part 3 - GreBec Knives & More

Introduction to Florida Wood Series – Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of our Florida Wood Series blog at Grebec Knives! For this post, we’re showcasing Red Cedar, Southern Red Oak, and Red Maple. As described on the Florida Wood Series page, these woods are sourced from North Central Florida. They bring bold character to our custom high-carbon steel knives. Specifically, Red Cedar’s aromatic grain, Southern Red Oak’s sturdy elegance, and Red Maple’s vibrant hues create unique handles. In fact, each tells a story of Florida’s natural beauty and craftsmanship. If you missed them, explore Part 1 and Part 2 for more stunning woods!

Florida Wood Series – Red Cedar

Red Cedar handle on a mini-cleaver with 3 Mosaic Pins and a Lanyard Tube

Florida Series Knife Handles - Red Cedar handle showing a streak of sap wood with 1 Mosaic pin

I had a customer who worked in construction. He asked me if I could use Red Cedar to make knife handles. To complete the construction project, workers needed to remove the tree in question. I knew Red Cedar wasn’t a hard wood but decided to stabilize it and give it a try—boy, am I glad I did! When I received the first couple of pieces, they measured about 2 feet long with a similar diameter. Giant red ants had completely eaten the center of these ‘logs.’ I sprayed them with bug killer several times until the ants disappeared. That’s when I began searching for pieces suitable for knife scales (1 1/4′ x 2′ x 5 1/2′) with beautiful figuring in the wood grain. You can watch the process of cutting them from chunks of tree trunk into usable blocks on this YouTube video.

Red Maple

The wood from the Red Maple tree boasts a rich caramel color with very attractive figuring. This particular wood carries its own tragic (and traumatic for the wood) story. A friend of ours experienced this tree falling on her carport! It ended badly for the tree and wasn’t kind to the carport either. When I heard about this tragic (though minimally so) tale, I immediately asked if she had any of the wood. She kindly gave me a few pieces of this poor tree that lost its life in a fight with the wind and her carport! I stabilize all Red Maple I use for my knife handles to ensure extreme durability and easy care. I avoid using dyes on the woods I select because I prefer their natural colors.

Florida Wood Series – Southern Red Oak

Florida Wood Series - Heavily figured Southern Red Oak custom knife handle with mild steel pins on a wood background

Southern Red Oak can be some of the most beautiful wood that I use or it can be just regular Oak. University of Florida has a good article about this tree. When I select pieces of Southern Red Oak, I seek areas of the branch or tree that have experienced stress. I first target areas with insect damage. While there’s less usable wood around these damaged areas, I prioritize the colors and figuring they provide. The knife handles pictured above came from a branch over 20 inches in diameter and more than 30 feet long. The section I chose was about 2 feet long, and insects had hollowed out the inside. This part of the branch featured very distinctive figuring and colors—I just had to avoid the holes. The remaining wood resembled the Oak you’d find at your local lumber yard.

If you’ve missed them, take a look at Part 2 and Part 3 of our Florida Wood Series to discover more wood types crafted into custom high carbon steel knives at GreBec Knives & More, featuring unique bookend-matched handle materials. Explore our online shop and filter by Florida Woods to browse knives in stock, showcasing these distinctive materials. Stay tuned for future releases as we expand the series over time!