I believe the piece of advice I needed at the beginning of this thread was "Why are you considering ipe/ironwood when there are so many better hardwoods to choose from!" I went to a real hardwood supply store yesterday (Rockler in Seattle), and took the wife along. They had a fantastic selection of woods in stock. In addition to the more common stuff like oak, mahogony, teak and walnut, they had bocote, cocobolo, wenge, blackwood, bloodwood, purpleheart, ebony, zebrawood, and many more. The only board I couldn't find was ipe.
I picked up a board of canarywood for a small non-audio related project. It's not as hard or heavy as ipe, but it's harder and heavier than any wood I've worked with before. I'll take some pics later today. Even unfinished it looks stunning, with very distinct red and orange streaks.
The wife really liked zebrawood, wenge and bocote. They are expensive, but I think any of them will look and perform great.
Dan
I picked up a board of canarywood for a small non-audio related project. It's not as hard or heavy as ipe, but it's harder and heavier than any wood I've worked with before. I'll take some pics later today. Even unfinished it looks stunning, with very distinct red and orange streaks.
The wife really liked zebrawood, wenge and bocote. They are expensive, but I think any of them will look and perform great.
Dan
Dan,
Ipe is very resilient for outdoor applications, especially untreated decks. That is pretty much what it is good for. I tried to convey that in my post, especially because I know how appealing the low cost of the wood can be, but we got distracted.
In general Rockler is overpriced, but it does have a good selection of hard woods for small projects. Keep in mind that they are a woodworking boutique and you pay for the convenience of having one of their stores nearby. For larger purchases you should definitely look for a lumber yard with a good selection, or even shop online.
Ipe is very resilient for outdoor applications, especially untreated decks. That is pretty much what it is good for. I tried to convey that in my post, especially because I know how appealing the low cost of the wood can be, but we got distracted.
In general Rockler is overpriced, but it does have a good selection of hard woods for small projects. Keep in mind that they are a woodworking boutique and you pay for the convenience of having one of their stores nearby. For larger purchases you should definitely look for a lumber yard with a good selection, or even shop online.
AudioFreak said:
Very good point. Make sure that you wear a suitable particulate respirator every time you are making sawdust, be it from cutting or sanding. I always keep a stock of 3M 8511 handy, which is a bit more expensive, but has the exhalation valve that makes wearing it more comfortable.
https://www.rapidsupplies.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=59756
I built a deck from Ipe recently, and second the warnings regarding using sharp, carbide-tipped tools. Great stuff, but I'd worry about it ringing unless you have some sort of damping scheme in mind (rap it and it sounds like a xylophone - not very well self-damped).
On another note, "ironwood" isn't really indicative of a particular species of wood - there are literally dozens of types of wood known as ironwood based on their reputation for being relatively hard. For a brief list, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironwood
John
On another note, "ironwood" isn't really indicative of a particular species of wood - there are literally dozens of types of wood known as ironwood based on their reputation for being relatively hard. For a brief list, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironwood
John
I installed a hardwood floor of Ipe and site finished it not too long ago so I will give you my take as a floor guy. The dust smells very bad and care must be taken to avoid breathing it. Ipe is a nice wood for many applications and I think we will see it gaining popularity in the future. Finish wise, oil, shellac or wax it. I had to basically scrub the floor with acetone before applying my seal coat (modified oil based polyurethane) to ensure adhesion. There would be nothing worse than to build your boxes and botch the finsih job because your finish would not cure on this dense/oily wood. Just an idea but worth exploring would be the finish system Jeff Jewitt describes in Fine Woodworking issue #186. Basically, apply Linseed oil, follow with 2lb cut shellac...many coats, one right after another and end the whole thing with dark brown paste wax.
Oh, almost forgot to mention this. When buying your Ipe keep an eye out for little white specs in the grain. These are silica pockets and are next to impossible to get out. I find them in Ipe and Jatoba quite often. When you get silica pockets in your wood the finish does not like to dry and the little silica specs do not go away with time, they only get worse as the wood darkens.
Hope this does not discourage you, Ipe is a very nice looking hardwood, just needs a little special attention.
Oh, almost forgot to mention this. When buying your Ipe keep an eye out for little white specs in the grain. These are silica pockets and are next to impossible to get out. I find them in Ipe and Jatoba quite often. When you get silica pockets in your wood the finish does not like to dry and the little silica specs do not go away with time, they only get worse as the wood darkens.
Hope this does not discourage you, Ipe is a very nice looking hardwood, just needs a little special attention.
I am very discouraged from using ipe, because of all the great alternatives I "discovered". There seem to be many woods that are just as heavy, but easier to work with.
I do have some masks which I've been using when cutting MDF, but it may be time to upgrade to one of those dual filter respirators. The plain masks make my shop glasses fog up.
Timn8ter - thank you for the tip, and thanks again for that good deal on the Behringer mic and mixer.
Here's a pic of the canarywood. I like the texture, but I think it's too red for my OB project, since the drivers will be silver or silvery. This is pretty close to the real color. The chair in the background is cherry.
Dan
I do have some masks which I've been using when cutting MDF, but it may be time to upgrade to one of those dual filter respirators. The plain masks make my shop glasses fog up.
Timn8ter - thank you for the tip, and thanks again for that good deal on the Behringer mic and mixer.
Here's a pic of the canarywood. I like the texture, but I think it's too red for my OB project, since the drivers will be silver or silvery. This is pretty close to the real color. The chair in the background is cherry.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Dan
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