Desert Ironwood

well, 1st...it smells terribly, so cover up well and be ready to shower when you are finished! With sharp tools it turns like a dream. and is amazingly stable (I just made a lidded jar with a perfect fitting lid) ....and it sands to a glass like finish. You do not need ANY finish...I sometime use a tiny bit of oil (walnut) to bring out the sheen.

You do not want to be driving screws in it, so plan on chucks, glue, etc....You can get started by using pointed tools...the long end of a heavy skew or a diamond shaped cutter, ot even the edges of a flat scraper.....these lessen the force against the tool until you get the piece round, then you can cut more or less as usual.

and if you decide it is too much trouble, I'll give you $10 for the lot...*grin*

...oh, about cutting! This is MUCH harder to cut on a saw than to turn...take small, shallow, slow cuts to get your blanks. Try to have a vacuum on so you get as little dust on you as possible....you will soon see why...Desert Ironwood is the 2nd heaviest/densest wood that grows in N. America, but it is worth almost any amount of trouble when you hit that special piece with the wild goldsand brown swirls. Have fun!

Bill I would imagine the sandpaper clogs up pretty fast. Do you do anything special to keep that from happening?

Bob

Desert Ironwood is the 2nd heaviest/densest wood that : grows in N. America, but it is worth almost any amount of trouble when : you hit that special piece with the wild goldsand brown swirls. : Have fun!

What is the #1 densest? Persimmon?

And to the OP, wear really good lung proterction -- I've heard this stuff is really, really nasty on the breathing system.

-- Andy Barss

off hand, I would gyess Osage Orange

Daleis really, really nasty on the breathing system.

no, the densest is from Florida....sometimes called "Leadwood"...selected samples of the heartwood are as dense as any wood in the world. It seems to vary according to growing conditions

sorry...went to bed before you answered..No, it is not a particular problem with sandpaper. It is not oily at all, and because it is dense, you usually have a fairly clean surface when you start sanding. If you use each grit carefully, it really sands quite easily...

I cut and turned a small box today. The wood is magnificent! Stinks when you cut it and when it is turned but after sanding it as fine as you can it will be almost glass like. Various colors of chocolate brown and some grains will shimmer in sunlight. It has voids in the wood and they can appear as you sand. The result of a day cutting, sanding and finishing is very dirty skin. Like I had been working in a dirty mill. And the dirt didn't want to come off.

When I picked up the ir>

wow, all that Ironwood and a Redwood burl, too? (That burl is something...the prices on those have gone WAY up recently, as there are not nearly as many being found anymore.....you might want to price it before you cut it up too much)

I hope the ironwood gives some chunks with the gold between the brown parts.....

well, I have some Yew root, (the shrub, not the tree) some White Oak burl, and some Maple burl to play with, so maybe I won't be TOO jealous!......maybe....*grin*....

And here I am, a contented newbie, justifiably happy with my apple, ash, maple (three kinds so far), cherry, poplar and oak stash. Then you guys mention having tons of exotic stuff to turn and my fantasies "come a crashin'."

Oh well, there's always tomorrow. ;-)

I'm still learning what to do with what I have.

Bill

I believe there'll always be a part of you that feels that way.