Talking about glues, which one is the best to glue this water resistant 1220 kg/m³ wood? Epoxy, PVA or polyurethane foam? Can a CNC router cut this wood? There is one available in my city, but I don't know how expensive would using this machine be.
I have not used this wood so I can not speak from experience. With other woods I have done test joints. To see which glue gives the strongest joint and the best working time for me.
Take a couple of small pieces glue and clamp them together. Leave it over night. Beat the crap out of the joint with a hammer to break the joint. Analyze the out come chose the best glue.
I hope this helps
Take a couple of small pieces glue and clamp them together. Leave it over night. Beat the crap out of the joint with a hammer to break the joint. Analyze the out come chose the best glue.
I hope this helps
Hello again:
As I indicated in the previous note. Do a few test joints to confirm which glue works best for you. Each glue has it's own parameters of bonding, working time, strength, flexibility, cost, availability etc.
On my projects glue joints rarely fail. On the one I previously described it was not a glue joint that failed.
Nuff said for now
Send in updates of your progress.
As I indicated in the previous note. Do a few test joints to confirm which glue works best for you. Each glue has it's own parameters of bonding, working time, strength, flexibility, cost, availability etc.
On my projects glue joints rarely fail. On the one I previously described it was not a glue joint that failed.
Nuff said for now
Send in updates of your progress.
Wash edges with Lacquer thinner before gluing as OIL in the wood can contaminate the bond.. Moisture curing glue works well as solvents help bond oily woods ! Iron wood is hard as nails and will need biscuit joining.. Be aware its highly allergenic wood. Test YOURSELF prior to working with it by sanding a board with a belt sander and BAG. Remove dust from bag and sprinkle over duct tape and tape that wood dust down on the inside of your fore arm and wait a hr and see if it creates a itchy rash.. If it does you better be prepared with proper clothing and respirator !
I sent a homeowner to the emergency room when I was sanding WENGE from the dust !
I sent a homeowner to the emergency room when I was sanding WENGE from the dust !
I rebuilt my deck with ipe, which is also very dense and oily. A number of the structures I built like post wraps (all 27 of them!) were glued and screwed with ipe plugs covering the screw heads. I used Titebond III glue which is rated as water resistant and which cures to a relatively dark color, making for invisible glue lines. Just before glue-up I would freshly joint mating edges and sanded mating sides to provide a fresh wood surface relatively free of oil. Two years later in the outdoors in Michigan I have had no issues with these!
and those little slivers of Wenge or Paduak in your knuckle creases, or under fingernails are much fun too
Interesting discussion. Would I build a cabinet from Brazilian Ironwood? No. And I hate MDF and plywood, and love working with solid wood.
Reasons: as an exotic, it can very easily cause allergic reactions that are serious. Second, the natural oils can make it challenging to glue. It can be done, but there is not much room for error. Third, it is extremely hard and no fun to work with.
If you want to use solid wood, set yourself up to succeed. My first pick would be genuine Mahogany, not Philippine. Extremely stable as well as beautiful. Second would be beech or maple. After that their are lots to choose from.
Good luck!
Reasons: as an exotic, it can very easily cause allergic reactions that are serious. Second, the natural oils can make it challenging to glue. It can be done, but there is not much room for error. Third, it is extremely hard and no fun to work with.
If you want to use solid wood, set yourself up to succeed. My first pick would be genuine Mahogany, not Philippine. Extremely stable as well as beautiful. Second would be beech or maple. After that their are lots to choose from.
Good luck!
Wouldn't wearing a mask just solve the problem with allergies? I'm not allergic to anything by the way. Are epoxy glue or polyurethane foam good options to glue oily woods?
It depends. In my case, I've never been allergic to any kind of wood my entire life. Then I worked with cocobolo, while wearing a mask. I had no respiratory issues, but my hands and arms broke out in a rash and itched a lot. It depends on the person, type of wood, previous exposure, etc.
I've never used foam glue, so I can't comment on that. Epoxy, depending on the type, can be really strong but also brittle. I've found that Titebond always creates a joint that is stronger than the surrounding wood, and I tend to use it a lot. Epoxy is more complicated, usually two-part, messy and expensive.
Likely joint preparation is more important than the type of glue. Make sure each face to be glued is freshly exposed wood, and wipe it down with a solvent that will clean the natural oils off the wood. I usually use mineral spirits or alcohol. Lacquer thinner works but it is nasty to breath. Then glue it up immediately.
Would you care to tell what special knowledge has been applied to the pictured cabinets? If I was guessing just off your photos, I'd say it is simply that the glossy finish is a good moisture barrier, so they essentially aren't hygroscopic.
When I have built in a similar manner, I assume I got lucky because very low timber movement (old wood + oil as a moisture barrier) was more important than my very basic technique.
I've been working with a similar wood, Quebracho Colorado, the hardest known wood, common down here...even used as firewood because of its oils contained within..
You're going to have a rough time working it with woodworking tools as they wreck the sharpness very quickly, fully half your tools won't work at all.
I would suggest building something small...to start, like a sealed 102mm fullranger driver, some 300mm by 200 by 250.....& see how it goes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------Rick..............
You're going to have a rough time working it with woodworking tools as they wreck the sharpness very quickly, fully half your tools won't work at all.
I would suggest building something small...to start, like a sealed 102mm fullranger driver, some 300mm by 200 by 250.....& see how it goes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------Rick..............
Solid Natural Wood vs Man Made Wood
A few thoughts on solid wood vs man-made; ie, MDF and plywood. I really detest man-made wood. Wood from Mother Nature, on the other hand, can be awesome and beautiful.
But man-made wood has one important quality - it is consistent. It's the same weight, same density, same everything. Everywhere. So if you are looking for consistent sound performance between speaker #1 and speaker #356,891 - use man-made wood. A second consideration is that man-made wood can be cheaper than natural wood.
Natural wood, while beautiful and fun to work, can be very inconsistent. It has knotholes, heartwood, sapwood, wormholes, cracks, rot, tight growth rings, loose growth rings, etc. You get the picture. It takes a lot of effort, and you have to cull a lot of wood, to get consistency.
So I generally think consistency is boring and ugly. But it is why the mass-marketers of speakers use man-made wood, then cover it up with a nice veneer. A diy speaker builder, on the other hand, may not care about consistency. In which case, use whatever you want.
It's also why I used MDF to build my subwoofer, and I'm considering it for other speakers. But......maybe I'll use a nice stable hardwood. If I can find some with consistency..... 🙂
A few thoughts on solid wood vs man-made; ie, MDF and plywood. I really detest man-made wood. Wood from Mother Nature, on the other hand, can be awesome and beautiful.
But man-made wood has one important quality - it is consistent. It's the same weight, same density, same everything. Everywhere. So if you are looking for consistent sound performance between speaker #1 and speaker #356,891 - use man-made wood. A second consideration is that man-made wood can be cheaper than natural wood.
Natural wood, while beautiful and fun to work, can be very inconsistent. It has knotholes, heartwood, sapwood, wormholes, cracks, rot, tight growth rings, loose growth rings, etc. You get the picture. It takes a lot of effort, and you have to cull a lot of wood, to get consistency.
So I generally think consistency is boring and ugly. But it is why the mass-marketers of speakers use man-made wood, then cover it up with a nice veneer. A diy speaker builder, on the other hand, may not care about consistency. In which case, use whatever you want.
It's also why I used MDF to build my subwoofer, and I'm considering it for other speakers. But......maybe I'll use a nice stable hardwood. If I can find some with consistency..... 🙂
Ironwood is so dense it won't float in water so I wouldn't worry about movement. The biggest isssue you will have is with the dulling of whatever cutting edge is used on it. It is extremely difficult to work because of this. Using a polyurethane glue is your best bet. Any screws would require pre-drilling of holes.
While I detest veneering, in this case I believe a good quality plywood substrate with Ironwood veneer will provide the looks you want and the sonics you desire.
While I detest veneering, in this case I believe a good quality plywood substrate with Ironwood veneer will provide the looks you want and the sonics you desire.
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Chris & Bernie are much better than i, and they can’t draw or design so i get to do that work. Symbiosis.
dave
I have been going on & on about this Ironwood for a long time now....the stuff is quite unique, i have right now this moment a triangular wedge of the stuff.....it has a nasty wedge edge on it....I use it as a scraper, the likes of a metal putty-knife...the edge is sharp, durable, & I can use as a saw edge... most wonderful stuff!
Trying to actually screw it into anything requires tremendous forethought.....particular attention needs to be applied towards the particular diameter of pilot-holes....get it wrong & your screw will stall.....& no amount of torque (the screw-head will supply) ....will draw it in any more.
The oil saturation of Quebracho should contaminate most all glues....making a two-tube epoxy the adhesive of choice..
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