Has Anyone turned Ipe?

It's very dusty when turned and can inflame the skin if you don't take precautions. I would also avoid breathing the dust. The dust turns everything it touches a muddy green if there is any moisture around. It almost acts like a dye. It's very hard and does not have a very impressive grain structure. It's very hard on tools, too.

Pat

A gallery owner that shows/sells my stuff gave me some scraps of Ipe he had left from building his deck to see what I could make from it. I'd never tried it before about 2 months ago. I made him a few trembleurs. It worked wonderfully!

The wood is certainly hard. Not exceptionally but still darned hard. The dust is greenish yellow and stains everything really badly. I can't get it out of my smock. The wood is very resilient and fairly flexible. You can take it down very thin (1/32" for some of the trembleurs), long and still abuse it a little without breaking. It takes a good shine from the tool but not fantastic. It's more of a satin shine than a gloss shine like maybe a Kingwood or most rosewoods. I can't say anything about how it dries/warps/cracks as I've not tried any green stock. It's a little chippy/brittle but not bad at all.

I read up a lot on this wood after I made a few of the trembleurs. I found out that it's very very decay resistant and is rated well for direct ground contact for over 20 years. It's also fire rated the same as concrete and brick. It costs quite a bit but that's par for the course with those types of woods.

I'd love to find some more Ipe in larger sizes.

- Andrew

My understanding is that Ipe is the wood from which the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, is constructed. I'm also told it is not necessary to kiln dry the wood before building such a structure. Apparently has something to do with the drying/stability characteristics of the wood. A friend built a set of screen doors from Ipe for the companionway of my sailboat. His reasoning was that it is even more weather-resilient than teak, and costs less. My own experience with Ipe is a swingset I once constructed for my daughter. The damn thing still looks fine after nearly

I have a source for a select grade of Ipe lumber, called Pau Lope. If I can find the literature I'll see what dimensions are available.

Max

I think I had heard that about the boardwalk as well. I wonder how long it's been there... the Ipe boards ... not the boardwalk itself.

Yes, please do send me what you can, if you can find it, on a supplier. I'd like to get some minimum 3' lengths that are 12/4. Rough sawn is fine and larger sizes are fine as well. Should make some nice larger trembleurs.

- Andrew

Thanks Rich! Looks like they have a lot of different sizes.

- Andrew

"AHilton" wrote in news:NZudnbhiMO- snipped-for-privacy@centurytel.net:

I built a small deck table out of ipe. Found out that it was cheaper to buy ipe milled for decks than to buy ipe lumber! Of course, that limits your size selections, but if standard deck lumber sizes work, investigate the price differences.

The standard deck lumber size was what was given to me. It works fine for trembleurs up to around 10" but just looks stupid after that. Of course, for thin lids and other projects, it'd be fine at those thicknesses. I think I'd just use a mahogany in those cases as they're very similar in appearance, easier to get and a whole lot cheaper.... usually.

I guess they sell a whole lot more Ipe for decks and such things than otherwise.

- Andrew

I remember when they were redecking the boardwalk in AC. It was at least ten years ago and probably more. Also, there is/was a WWII submarine on display in the river in Pittsburgh. When I got the tourist's trip through the sub, they were in the process of putting down new Ipe deck. I asked the guide about it. He told me the original deck was teak but that was too expensive for them to use now. An interim deck had been made of pressure treated wood. That seems like sacrilege. So now they were using Ipe.

Just some little know and cared about information!

Harry

I have turned several pens from kiln dried scraps that a professional wood shop made into outdoor furniture. The wood is quite hard, but easy to turn. Dust was not green, it was the color of Hersey's chocolate bars. The wood finished with an excellent shine with the same color. There is no apparent grain though. Looks good enough to eat. Some of the scraps still had the wood ID tags attached, so I know it is Ipe(ironwood). I believe there are several varities of trees called ipe, so that may explain the green sawdust. Three pen kits and a little time got me a bushel and a half of scraps. Some are 2x6 and

I use Ipe' for my turning tool handles and they look beautiful! I use copper for the ferrules which adds a nice touch. I have only turned the air dried material since it is readily available to me. I have not noticed any movement in the handles at all. Since they are tool handles, I don't apply any finish.

Alex

This is from memory so may be wrong. I think that the boardwalk was replaced with ipe within the last 10 years or so. There were several pressure groups involved with varying opinions on the subject.

One group wanted to use a domestic wood. There are no domestics which can hold up to this use. The redwoods and those woods which have been used in the past are a poor imitation of what they used to be. They sell fast growth sapwood these days and you might as well spend your money on beer.

As far as I know nobody suggested using CCA impregnated wood since we've known for years that this and similar methods of making wood longer lasting and less appetizing to insects is a good case of cancer waiting to happen.

Then there are those who want us to save the rain forest by using plastic instead of wood. Now, here is an interesting problem. Wood -- even rain forest wood -- is a renewable resource. Plastic is made from oil which, for all practical purposes, is not a renewable resource. Using wood and managing its growth is ecologically sound. Finding more uses for plastic and the other products which find their roots in oil is not. But, try to convince some people...

Bill

Bill Rubenstein wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.kc.sbcglobal.net:

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Aren't a lot of the 'plastic' outdoor products made from recycled plastics? A local co-op publishes a directory of 'enviro friendly' business and includes retailers of this stuff. They also use it themselves. Have not tried turning it. :o)

Yes, you seem to be right -- many of the decking products are advertised to be made from recycled plastic. So, that just means that the milk bottle, soda bottle or whatever was the product made from a non-renewable resource. When I was a kid the choice for both milk and soda was bottles or bottles. You took them back to the store (or the milkman picked them up from the back steps), they washed them and used them again and again.

Bill

Bill Rubenstein wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.kc.sbcglobal.net:

When I was a kid the milk bottles had cardboard caps and you had to get to them before the birds got the tops off and drank the cream which had risen to the top. I also walked to school. Uphill both ways. In the dark. :o)

The people at the Pau Lope display had a board from the boardwalk, claiming it was over 50 years old. It was slightly rounded due to wear, but was in good condition. Apparently some boards were broken during a hurricane and they obtained a segment.

Enter into any search engine. Quite a few hits, but mostly for decking. I haven't found my source yet, but I'll keep looking.

Max

I believe you forgot about the two feet of snow . . .

Max

"Maxprop" wrote in news:yDnhc.17162$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net:

Did that once. Got to school and it was closed. Walked home.

I purchase a 10'-4x4 from a local lumber yard a few years back. Boy was that heavy. It looked good until it dried for a couple of weeks and showed numerous cracks/checks. It was still useable, but not for what I originally intended to turn. I don't know if they have a drying schedule for the stuff, but I'd look into how it was dried if I buy again.

Pat