Has anyone had any success putting a finish on Ipe? This wood is very dense, so oils have a hard time penetrating, and surface finishes peel off in a year. I’ve tried Behr’s N.W.F. and got one year out of it. I am waiting to hear from the Forestry dept in Madison, but thought you guys know better.
Incidentally, I have about 350s.f. of 3/4″ x 5 1/2″ with eb-tye fasteners (no exposed fasteners) on the north side of my house in southern WI.
Replies
We're planning to do our deck out of Ipe. I wasn't planning on putting any finish on it. What's your reasoning for using a finish?
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Ipe - I have heard a little about it. I know Steve Knight uses them for the sole of his planes. Obviously a dense stable wood.
Is it any good for furniture?
I have toyed with the idea of getting some and using it make some jigs and miter fences. - any thoughts on that?1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
"I have toyed with the idea of getting some and using it make some jigs and miter fences. - any thoughts on that?" It's tough on tools, so you'll need lots o' carbide. Also very heavy - 6.5 lbs/BF! The "Janka Hardness" measure is off the charts practically, 3,680 lbs. This is as opposed to around 1300 for white oak and ash, 2670 for "Southern chestnut." It is very stable, but seems like overkill, especially given the weight.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 5/20/2005 12:40 pm ET by forestgirl
I have access to some 3/4" IPE and was toying with a miter gauge fence using it (2 iteces laminated together with som T track on top) and maybe some faces for my router table fence1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
Not For Furniture
IPE is great for decks, and outdoor use but I would really avoid it for indoor use. It is a pain in the @$$ to work. While working with it, yellow dust come off and gets on everything and it is really not very good for you. Skin problems, respitory, etc
I save 160 LF from my deck project to build deck furniture, etc out of but can not stand the stuff enought to do anything with it.
Will sell 1x6 IPE in the Seattle area for $1 BF.
What about an outdoor bench? We have one of those with the cast-iron legs/arms that has old cedar planks in it, which are shot. I was thinking about taking some of the decking when we get it and ripping it down to replace the slats.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Shane,
Do you still have the Ipe? I'd be interested in it, and I'm not too far from Seattle (Duvall).
David
Most of the web info I've seen on Ipe. they will actually warn you not to use it inside. Over time, it lets off harmful vapors that are dangerous to breath. For outdoor use, nothing is better but inside is a big no no.<!----><!---->
To Rick, you could use it for a few pieces on jigs that you want to be durable but I would avoid using it for whole jigs. As forest girl said, it is extremely heavy and it also has a tendency to splinter somewhat on cut edges. Those splinters are toxic is you don't get them out like a lot of exotics and they are much sharper than other types of woods. I've worked with ipe a fair amount and I would disagree with forest girl on how much it beat up tools. As she said, it is extremely dense but that really doesn't wear the tools much if you take care to cut a little slower than other woods and use sharp tools. I've drilled ipe, routered it, cross cut and ripped it, the only thing you need to do is take your time because the heat will build up much quicker than with other woods. Also, the dust is terrible to breath.<!---->
Edited 5/22/2005 12:33 pm ET by DDay
Forest.. I worked with IPE.. NO production line usin' that stuff!
Great wood but sort of like Purpleheart to work with,, Dang stuff!
Like any wood ipe will crack and dry out in the face up to the sun position that a deck is. I have had very good response from Cetol Dek as a finish for ipe. You apply the Cetol Base and the up to 6 months later apply the "Dek" topcoat product. It provides a built up surface that will "remarry" when scuffed by deck furniture. It is also easy to repair later when some deck disaster strikes
i've used cabot's australian timber oil on some light houses i've built yes it takes a while to seep in so use sparingly
Thomas B. Palumbo
CUSTOM WOODWORKING
Thanks for the info. Just how much are we talking. 1 gallon per 200 s.f.?400? And what kind of weather needed?
Go to the following web site and do a search on coatings for Ipe:
http://www.homeressources.com/forum/list.php?f=7
You will find a wealth of information.
The two coatings talked about most and used by deck contractors that lay down a lot of Ipe are Penofin and TWP 116 rustic red. One year ago I did my deck and screened porch with Ipe and used TWP, half the price of Penofin and rave reviews by several contractors. You just wipe it on in thin coats, temperature must be 80 degrees plus for proper drying. After one year in the bright sun, the deck still looks good with a bit of expected fading. The TWP does a really good job of maintaining the gorgeous Ipe color and prevent surface checking. Both Penofin and TWP need to be reapplied once a year but it is so easy to do that it isn't a hassle.
You should be using a penetrating oil like Penofin or Messmer's, those are the two that are most often recommended for Ipe by the dealers. Both finished are not a coating, they are penetrating oils that absorb into the wood. You should put it down a few months after install, then 6 months later, then one year later, then 3 after that. The wood absorbs the finish each time and will become saturated over time and the need to put on the finish will decrease.
Do a search for either of these over in breaktime. I use penofin marine finish, that is a clear finish and I think a little higher grade than the hardwood finish formula which also will darken the ipe a little.
http://www.penofin.com/
http://www.messmers.com/
I've built several outdoor projects using Ipe. I used clear bear deck/ fence stain. and a oil based Sherman Williams deck stain. It will penetrate just fine. They have UV blockers so the wood will hold its colour longer. You will have to reapply yearly, I live in Texas whear the Sun kills outdoor finish in short order. Dont put in on thick or it will look bad. Two light coats is plenty.
Mike
I used a50/50 mix of linsead oil and paint thinner,you could also use turpentine and brushed on.I gave it about a week to soak in and applied a second 50/50 mix seems to work.LOL pete.
I've built a few outdoor furniture projects out of Ipe and it's close cousin Garapa. I made the folding deck chairs as an early Christmas gift for my parents winter Arizona retirement place. I left them unfinished but have gotten reports that under the hot dry AZ sun that the Ipe has developed some small fine surface checking. Probably should have put a finish on them, as it looks like my dad will eventually have to do that.
Last summers project was replacing a 25+ year old redwood picnic table that I initially planned on making out of Ipe. Only problem - my local supplier was temporarily out of 2x6 Ipe. They did have something called Garapa that they said was a relative and very similar to Ipe. I did some research and confirmed what they were telling me. It's slightly lighter color and density/weight than Ipe, but otherwise works, glues, and finishes as stubbornly as Ipe. For that, I did some research and came away thinking Sikkens Cetol was the finish to use. Even after following all instructions, I still had difficulty getting it to cure correctly on a couple of the boards, but was eventually successful and the finish appearance is very nice. I've since talked to a local decking pro who highly recommended the Penofin.
Haven't yet taken a pic of the picnic table, but here's one of the deck chairs.
Waddaya mean it wont fit through the door?
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