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I found it harder than hades and just as ugly. Didn't care for it. Pen blanks by the way.
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Sharp tools.
It’s boring plain BUT excellent if you need a durable spindle for a wet location.
Gary
Please don’t quote the trolls.
Liberty, Freedom and Individual Responsibility
Say what you'll do and do what you say.
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I once made a bokken (wooden samurai sword) for my son out of Ipe and dang! That is one tough wood! It withstood his smacking and bashing and shrugged off damage like a champ.
I found that it's reasonably easy to work with power tools. Not brittle and pretty much refused to chip out. You'll be sharpening your tools quite a bit. Maybe do the bulk of the work with a carbide tool and finish with a well-sharpened gouge? Works well with abrasives too. Not much to look at when finished unless the piece has particularly wild grain or a mottled figure I've seen in some quartersawn faces. It doesn't have much luster compared with other woods. Good luck.
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06-16-2021, 04:10 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-16-2021, 04:13 PM by Pirate.)
Someone gave me a bunch of 2x6 Ipe cutoffs. Turned a garden trowel for my wifes favorite trowel.
No problem turning. And I did it with dull chisels.
Be aware, some people are alergic to it. Girl I got it from was going to use but she was alergic.
My Nephew runs a dock building company and they use a lot of it. He can't handle it, or he breaks out.
I long for the days when Coke was a soft drink, and Black and Decker was a quality tool.
Happiness is a snipe free planer