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Millwork with Ipe

4/23/14       
Geoff

I have been asked to price out a job of custom milling about 600 bft. with two different woods. One price is with ribbon sipo/utile and the other with ipe. I have never done any millwork with ipe and was wondering what to expect.
I guess it is worth mentioning that our shop mills a fair amount sipo and know what to expect. Also, we have a SCMI joiner and planer and two shapers.

4/4 sipo $4.45/bft rough
4/4 ipe $7.80/bft rough

4/24/14       #2: Millwork with Ipe ...
gary

Ipe is hard. REALLY HARD. Helical head would be preferred due to tear out.

4/24/14       #3: Millwork with Ipe ...
Chuck Rankin

Hi Geoff:

All I can say is carbide, carbide, carbide when milling Ipe. It is tough and heavy as well. They don't call it Ironwood for nothing. We have spec'd out a lot of tooling for Ipe over the years and carbide has always ended up being the tool of choice.

Best regards,

Chuck Rankin
Wood Tech Enterprises, Inc.
Phone (828) 628-4414

4/24/14       #4: Millwork with Ipe ...
Geoff

I failed to mention in my message last night that we have tersa cutter heads in both the joiner and planer.
I am guessing that the ipe dulls the knives quickly.
Do you get tear out planing, joining or both?

4/24/14       #5: Millwork with Ipe ...
Chuck Rankin

Hi Geoff:

We can supply you Genuine Swiss made solid carbide insert knives for the Tersa heads you have and most likely have them in stock. That would be the best option for the Ipe material.

Best regards,

Chuck Rankin
Wood Tech Enterprises, Inc.
P.O. Box 2226
Fairview, NC 28730, USA
Phone: 828-628-4414
Fax: 828-628-4490


View larger image

Tersa Knives

4/24/14       #6: Millwork with Ipe ...
gary

I have Tersa as well which is perfect for dropping in the carbide knives when you need them and storing when you don't. I have had mine for 5 years on one edge so far.

4/24/14       #7: Millwork with Ipe ...
Adam

Tearout is not usually a problem with ipe. Its so hard it machines like plastic.

Make sure everyone in the area is wearing a dust mask. The dust is toxic and can cause breathing problems.

4/26/14       #8: Millwork with Ipe ...
Steeliemark

Devil wood.
Hard, can splinter outrageously or fuzz at the other end of the same piece.
Oh my tired back heavy (well, ok, I'm an old man)
But it can look great oiled.
Carbide is the only way to go. I found that I would run high RPM's and a slower feed to mill it. Risk burns but I got a good finish with little sanding which is best because of the before mentioned nasty dust.
Devil wood

4/26/14       #9: Millwork with Ipe ...
JeffD

Adam has had better luck then me, I find Ipe to be nothing like plastic. It's incredibly dense, hard, and brittle. The brittle can be a problem as you can sometimes get large chunks ripped out when profiling. Even for simple stuff like rabbeting you need your cutters very sharp as it can tear out on you. This aspect also makes the splinters especially nasty. They tend to come off in long hard slivers and are more painful than typical domestic hardwoods.

The warning on the dust is right on too! When you mill the stuff you'll get this mustard yellow dust that is really pretty nasty. Oh and did anyone mention it's heavy….like really really heavy! I don't know how you add for that in the price….but I would! Moving 600 bd. ft. around is a lot more effort than moving 600 bd ft of say oak or even maple.

Might also be worth mentioning to the client some of the problems of Ipe, like if it needs any sanding on site it could be problematic. Or that it cannot be nailed or glued like normal trim but requires special considerations….ie, more expensive to install! Basically there's good reasons why you've never done any millwork with Ipe. It's simply best suited to exterior use….at least IMO.

good luck,
JeffD

4/26/14       #10: Millwork with Ipe ...
Adam

I guess we did have good luck with the ipe. I had expected trouble as you have remarked. We free handed 8 foot curves on the shaper for a massive pergola. No problems whatsoever. The posts were 12" x 12" x 10'. Thank god we had a forklift. I had to Mortise those bastards with a plunge router.

I hate ipe. Ipe decks feel like a concrete sidewalk under your feet. The handrails often endup with this awful splinters that cannot be sanded off.

4/27/14       #11: Millwork with Ipe ...
Geoff

Thank you for the responses to my question, it was the kind of information I was looking for.
I have worked with S4S ipe but haven't done any millwork with it. From my limited experience I was expecting it to be difficult to mill.
Hopefully they will choose a different wood. At this point I am suggesting pattern mahogany.


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