Hey Guys — I would like to draw on the experieces of others in working with Ebony. It is a new wood to me, and I don’t want to make any mistakes.
I have cut and shaped some smallish cockbeading of ebony for installation on mahogany drawers. Anything I need to know about gluing it? Should I wipe it down with acetone before gluing? Is yellow glue (orig. Titebond) OK? I plan to install it with 23ga. nails, shot, and then fill the holes by using super glue and sanding it in with 320 grit till dry. Any problem with this approach? I shot a small piece as a test and got no splitting, even though the cross section is 3/8″ by 9/64ths, and the piece I test shop was only one inch long. It took 2 nails fine.
Will I encounter any problems with finishing? I haven’t yet decided how to finish this piece, but will probably use a toned shellac, sprayed. Any adhesions or other probems to be avoided?
Is the wood dust commonly obnoxious? It seems to be bothering me a bit, but maybe it was something else. I resawed the small molding, and then drum sanded it to get a consistent thickness. Hand scraped the beaded front. Ebony works beautifully, but the splinters are a PITA. Very sharp. Like needles. It seemed OK on the jointer and bandsaw.
Please share your experiences with me; I love to learn. Thanks.
Replies
s4s, as for your strategy here, I don't see any pitfalls. Luthiers have been using ebony for centuries in ways that are similar to what you're doing (accent work.) Because of its fine texture and density, ebony doesn't have the best gluing characteristics, but there's nothing in its chemistry (as is the case with teak and most of the rosewoods) that would interfere with gluing. In fact, ebony is an exceptionally dry wood...meaning it's not the least bit waxy or oily.
As for the fine, powdery dust...it's a major drawback when working with ebony. It's like doing a shift in a coal mine.
I have used ebony quite a bit but not for this type of application. I have had very good success with Excel one polyurethane glue. I have not tried any other types though. I have not used acetone before applying - just simply dampened the wood (with water) and glued it. I don't think you need to nail the cockbeading as the glue along should be able to hold it just fine. It also saves you from having to fill the holes:) I would use masking tape as clamps.
There was a really good article in FWW a while ago (couple years) - I think the cover even had a dresser with ebony cockbeading on it. Anyway, it was about dressing up a dresser (if my memory serves me correctly). It was very good and should offer additional help. Let us know how it goes.
Cheers, Konrad
Thanks for the tip on the FWW article. I will do a flip through of my past issues.
I'll check at home tonight and let you know which issue etc.
Cheers, Konrad
Titebond is not a good glue for Ebony, IMO. I've had no trouble with hide glue and Ebony - no acetone wash needed.
Just my experience. Take FWIW.
Thanks for the comment. I do not use hide glue, yet, but it is on my list of things to learn. Why do you believe titebond is a bad choice for ebony?
Alan
I used it once and it didn't hold. Probably would have done fine with an acetone wash.
I just don't use a lot of PVA glue. It is more prone to creep than hide glue which dries glass hard and is very creep resistant.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled