Has anyone ever worked with ipê (also called ironwood)? Any recommendations for what I ought to make? I've been given a fair amount of it (perhaps 30 pieces, each roughly 2"x3"x8'), salvaged from shipping crates that apparently came from South America (which is just insane since it's just about the heaviest wood in the world.) Any hints or advice on how to work with it without wanting to kill myself halfway through a project? I don't have enough to make a deck, but was thinking of making outdoor furniture.
A question for woodworkers
- Thread starter Bryophyte
- Start date
I've been told that the wood is so highly mineralized that it's impossible to burn. It's given the same rating for flammability that concrete and steel have. According to the person I talked to, you can't stain it or oil it or anything because it's so dense. It just doesn't take any finishes at all. It's going to cost me a fortune in drill bits and saw blades and sand paper. Yikes.
Originally posted by: rasczak
i work my wood quite a bit, usually at night
Thank you for sharing.
Not according to the person I talked to. But you wouldn't need to, it's not going to degrade or rot. It's absolutely beautiful wood when it's been sanded properly.
Squisher
Lifer
- Aug 17, 2000
- 21,204
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- 91
Just reading what's been written here, I'd try some carbide masonry drill bits and use carbide tipped saw blades.
If you want to use regular highspeed bits you might want to try to learn to sharpen bits and if you do you'll probably want to put a negitive rake on the cutting edge so it is similar to a masonry bit.
If you want to use regular highspeed bits you might want to try to learn to sharpen bits and if you do you'll probably want to put a negitive rake on the cutting edge so it is similar to a masonry bit.
that's not _quite_ true.
But yeah, it's tough stuff. in some area's it's called Brazilian walnut or pau lope. it's typically used for outdoor decking when teak is too expensive, but sometimes you'll see furniture or even indoor flooring. The big plus is that it's very rot-resistant, so you can use it outdoors and in wet areas.
has it been finish milled (boards are straight, can't see the saw marks)? shipping crate lumber is typically very roughly milled...if not first move would be to take it to a commercial shop and get them planed down so they're straight and have a reasonable finish. that alone might make it impractical to do any finish carpentry with.
picnic table?
awning for picnic table?
adirondak chairs?
Some of it: join edges, table saw, glue up and surface plane some of the sticks into a nice unusual table top.
Some more of it: rip thinner, make into finely crafted boxes, like jewelry boxes.
Another idea: If you're a nimble wood carver, make a custom set of chess men, and a board in a folding case to go with it; store pieces inside case.
Some more of it: rip thinner, make into finely crafted boxes, like jewelry boxes.
Another idea: If you're a nimble wood carver, make a custom set of chess men, and a board in a folding case to go with it; store pieces inside case.
It's been finished milled. Boards are nice and straight and just need some sanding.
We've been contemplating making one or two park-type benches so we can use up some steel we have leftover from another project. I haven't seen any that I'm thrilled with yet, so we'll probably make our own design for them.The table top is a good idea. We'll be keeping all of the scraps from whatever we make and will probably play around with them making smaller stuff. One thing that worries me about working with this stuff is that some people seem to react to the dust when working with the wood, and my spouse got a rash after handling it. We'll have to use more than the cheap dust masks we usually use when we're working with this stuff.
what kind ? it lists like 30 kinds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironwood
from your description of its toughness, once you get it cut to size
a Bridgeport milling machine (or equivalent) might be an useful
tool in this situation. of course you have to watch feed rates
and put extra focus on work-holding, might have to adjust the
rake on the cutter, etc.
Hayabusa Rider
Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
- Jan 26, 2000
- 50,879
- 4,268
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Ipe is an excellent wood for outdoor use, and indoor as well except for two things. First, it is uncommonly hard. The Janka scale is used to measure wood hardness, and if you Google on it, you will find it's at the extreme high end of the scale. That means you must have sharp tools and must sharpen them often. Carbide tools will help, but even they will wear if you do a lot of it. A couple chairs should be no problem. I have no aversion to sharpening now that I am set up for it, but if I were working on this stuff I'd plan on resharpening my tools daily.
The second and a relatively minor problem is that it's an oily wood. That means before you finish or glue you MUST immediately wipe the surface with acetone, otherwise you will have glue up failure, and any coating will peel quickly.
As far as finishing goes, Ipe is extremely rot resistant. You don't need to do anything to it, however the surface oxidizes to a gray as almost all wood does when exposed to the elements. If you want to preserve the surface, I stole this from another site and it makes sense
Penefin for hardwood decks
Waterlox Marine Sealer & Finish
Sikkens Cetol
Cabot Australian Timber Oil
You want to apply a thin coating after using acetone, and at least once a year. You want a wipe on finish (I didn't look at the specific application directions for the ones I listed, but I have used the Waterlox product on my canoe rails, and it works well).
If you decide on making furniture, I suggest looking up a technique called draw boring. It's a mortise and tenon technique that in theory can make a glueless piece of furniture. I've thought Ipe would make a great Arts and Crafts chair done this way. I still suggest using glue as well, but if the oils ever do get to the glue, the joint being mechanically secure won't fail.
Anyway, if you want to know anything else let me know.
The second and a relatively minor problem is that it's an oily wood. That means before you finish or glue you MUST immediately wipe the surface with acetone, otherwise you will have glue up failure, and any coating will peel quickly.
As far as finishing goes, Ipe is extremely rot resistant. You don't need to do anything to it, however the surface oxidizes to a gray as almost all wood does when exposed to the elements. If you want to preserve the surface, I stole this from another site and it makes sense
Penefin for hardwood decks
Waterlox Marine Sealer & Finish
Sikkens Cetol
Cabot Australian Timber Oil
You want to apply a thin coating after using acetone, and at least once a year. You want a wipe on finish (I didn't look at the specific application directions for the ones I listed, but I have used the Waterlox product on my canoe rails, and it works well).
If you decide on making furniture, I suggest looking up a technique called draw boring. It's a mortise and tenon technique that in theory can make a glueless piece of furniture. I've thought Ipe would make a great Arts and Crafts chair done this way. I still suggest using glue as well, but if the oils ever do get to the glue, the joint being mechanically secure won't fail.
Anyway, if you want to know anything else let me know.
The only problem with that is that some people react to what I think must be the oil in the wood that HBR mentioned, and my spouse broke out in a rash all over his forearms while handling the wood. I think I'd kill him if I used it to prepare food. :Q
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