Does anyone here have any experience working with lyptus? I am considering using it for the door and drawer fronts for a custom kitchen in our house later this year. How is the stability for this wood? Machinability? How well does it work with hand tools? What about the color? Will that last, or will it darken like cherry does? What about finishes? Am considering polyurethane. Am pretty good at hand applying oil poly, but am considering trying water based so that I can spray it. Is this wood really everything that Weyerhauser is saying? Guess that I am a little skeptical about anything new for the trades, what with all of the hucksters and their latest greatest do-all gadgets. Anyone who has been around for a while knows what I am saying there.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Edited 3/20/2006 3:18 am ET by BigK
Replies
Like you, I mean to try some out but I kep forgetting. I believe my supplier warned me it frays like Poplar or cheep "Mohagany".
Mike
Thanks Mudman. Since it looks like our kitchen remodel looks like the trial project for this product, that is the kind of info that I am looking for, the stuff that the distributor won't tell you about.
At first my wife wanted red birch, she saw the kitchen that I was installing, and later the custom cabinets that I was making to augment what was already there. It is a real pretty wood but really experience and very unstable, doors will not stay straight no matter what. Also it is real hard on HS steel cutters (jointers and planers).
So then she says that she wants cherry. That was until I explain to her that the wood will darken unevenly as the kitchen has a 4' square skylight in the center. I know that she doesn't like dark.
Istumbled on the lyptus at a Rocklers. The color is right but it is a little pricey and they only carry 4/4, no ply or other thickness. So if that is the price then have to find another source. We'll see.
Maybe I need to figure out another project to test this stuff on first before committing to such a large quantity.
The current issue of Woodsmith (164) has a brief writeup on Lyptus. It might give you a little help. It's a new one for me - I haven't even heard of the stuff.
Thank you for the input. I will look for it. Hopefully it has more than just Weyerhauser's pitch on this product. I am seeking real world experience on this wood before we commit to using such a large quantity on the first project, off the top of my head guess probably 300 - 400 board feet, and I get to live with the end results.
Hope that you have a good day.
Edited 3/23/2006 5:34 am ET by BigK
Read this, I hope it answers some of your concerns.http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/forums/gallery.pl?read=449087Ron
BigK,
I had your same feelings about Lyptus. So I built a very nice head board for a queen size bed. I enjoyed working with the wood but it splinters like no other wood I know of. You will need to have the tweezers ready. Be careful. The wood took tools very well. I finished the piece with "velvet oil". It really made the wood's rich red color come alive and I have received nothing but compliments.
Take the leap. Get a small amout of Lyptus and work with it. Make sure your bride likes the color, it is pretty rich.
Joe
Joe
Is it really saw dust or wood dust?
Joe,
Thanks for the input. It is a color similar to Lyptus that she is looking for. Cherry was a previous choice, but not the way that it darkens.
What is "velvet oil"? Is it Danish oil? Or a private recipe? Curious about that one. Again thanks for the info.
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