Ipe/Pau Lope

[Quickley17]

Has anyone ever worked with this type of wood before? A couple people in my family used it for decking a few years back. The stuff is hard as a rock and lasts forever. It's used for the boardwalk in AC and at Treasure Island. It is branded in some places as Iron Wood. My dad got about a dozen drill holes for each carbide bit he went through when he redid their deck. Anyone tried using this for building tables, racks, cabinets, etc?

 

[highfigh]

It's great for exterior use but since it's as abrasive and hard as it is, it's not really practical for fine woodworking projects. Brazilian Cherry looks similar (without graying) but isn't as hard on the tools.

 

[KEW]

It is incredibly dense and can be quite stunning. It is hard on tools, but you should get better than 12 holes per carbide bit. I wonder if there was some sand/dust/grit in the wood - either from previous use or because the tree grew along a dirt road.
For my first experience, I had some iron wood growing near a spring which I wanted to cut down. It was 1-1/2" diameter and I figured I'd make quick work of it with a freshly sharpened hatchet. I got about 1/3 of the way through the "trunk" and realized that I would save time by going back to the shop and grabbing my chain saw!
Termites sure don't consider it worth the trouble!
I would generally agree with highfigh, but if you have left-overs, you might want to finish a couple of spots and see what the figure looks like before you totally discount it.

 

[highfigh]

It is incredibly dense and can be quite stunning. It is hard on tools, but you should get better than 12 holes per carbide bit. I wonder if there was some sand/dust/grit in the wood - either from previous use or because the tree grew along a dirt road.
For my first experience, I had some iron wood growing near a spring which I wanted to cut down. It was 1-1/2" diameter and I figured I'd make quick work of it with a freshly sharpened hatchet. I got about 1/3 of the way through the "trunk" and realized that I would save time by going back to the shop and grabbing my chain saw!
Termites sure don't consider it worth the trouble!
I would generally agree with highfigh, but if you have left-overs, you might want to finish a couple of spots and see what the figure looks like before you totally discount it.

Woods like Ipe, teak and some others have very high silica content, which is why they dull cutting tools quickly. There's nothing that can be done about it.

Don't get me wrong, I never said it's not worth working with but anyone who does should be prepared to do a lot of sharpening and it's good looking wood.

KEW- where are you located? Is the 'ironwood' you referred to also called 'Hornbeam' or lignum vitae? Those were widely used for tool handles and hand plane bodies because they're so durable and hard.

 

[Warpdrv]

Your not planning on building a box with this stuff and glue joints are you..?

If so you should make sure they are of a tongue and groove fashion so the air wont leak out when the glue dries up and shrinks...

 

[highfigh]

Your not planning on building a box with this stuff and glue joints are you..?

If so you should make sure they are of a tongue and groove fashion so the air wont leak out when the glue dries up and shrinks...

Urea, epoxy or polyester glue works on this but the joints need to be cleaned with strong solvent, just like teak.

I wonder how well PL-600 would work with Ipe. That, or 3M System 2000 or other autobody panel adhesive.

 

[Alex2507]

Carbide bits are for masonry/concrete.
HSS (high speed steel) and cobalt branded bits will go through that stuff like butter.

 

[highfigh]

Carbide bits are for masonry/concrete.
HSS (high speed steel) and cobalt branded bits will go through that stuff like butter.

Until they're dull. Carbide drill bits really aren't the best choice but carbide router bits, if it's C6 or similar, should last quite a while on this but that's based on it not being overheated. Good steel industrial drill bits or the cobalt ones you mentioned should work well with Ipe. Cheap cutters should always be avoided.

 

[Quickley17]

Your not planning on building a box with this stuff and glue joints are you..?

I was thinking that the scrap boards that are laying around might make good braces.

 

[KEW]

KEW- where are you located? Is the 'ironwood' you referred to also called 'Hornbeam' or lignum vitae? Those were widely used for tool handles and hand plane bodies because they're so durable and hard.

I was in Sylva, NC (the mountains in western NC). That was before I started wood working. My neighbor identified the wood. I don't have much reason to believe he was right other than it was a real bear to cut down.

Since then I have turned some IPE, but it is mostly desert ironwood.

Where does the high silica content come from? I always thought it was from being in a dusty or sandstorm type environment. I wouldn't think it could be a plant byproduct.

 

[highfigh]

I was in Sylva, NC (the mountains in western NC). That was before I started wood working. My neighbor identified the wood. I don't have much reason to believe he was right other than it was a real bear to cut down.

Since then I have turned some IPE, but it is mostly desert ironwood.

Where does the high silica content come from? I always thought it was from being in a dusty or sandstorm type environment. I wouldn't think it could be a plant byproduct.

If this looks familiar, he may have been correct. The location matches yours, at the time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hornbeam

The silica is deposited as the tree grows and comes from the minerals in the ground.

I haven't found anything about a Pau Lope but Pau Ferro is sometimes called 'Brazilian Ironwood'. This wood is never called Ipe.