desert iron wood

M

magnum .44

Joined
Jun 12, 1999
Messages
1,110
i just bought a block of excellent quality desert iron wood that is 2" by 4.5" by 19.5" (for only $40, pretty good deal) and i was wondering how to go about cutting the 4" in to 3/8" slices long ways with a bandsaw, should i slow the speed down? i'm gonna cut them large about 7/16" and plane them down to 3/8, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but i don't want any big mess ups. any suggestions? i'm thinking about selling some, pretty cheap too.

[This message has been edited by magnum .44 (edited 24 October 1999).]
 
I use my metal cutting bandsaw for ironwood. It runs much slower than a wood cutting bandsaw and therefor doesn't burn the wood as it cuts. Also the bi-metal blade used for metal holds up much better. The carbon steel wood cutting blades dull in a heartbeat on Ironwood. I might be interested in a couple sets of scales. What can we work out?

Hope this helps...GaryB


p.s. If you use a metal cutting bandsaw be sure to clean up the saw real good inside and out before you start cutting steel again. Risk fire and a REALLY bad smell
 
Magnum,

I thought would add something about ironwood. There was an article on Desert Ironwood in of all things Rock and Gem magazine. The author justified by saying that it is so hard it is like working with several types of stone. It was very interesting article. Thought I would post this to give you a bit of an idea what you are up against.

Regards,

Tom Carey
 
gary b. thanks for the input, i'll have to see how they turn out before i sell any, if you need them right away. i can't help you, but in the future maybe.

[This message has been edited by magnum .44 (edited 25 October 1999).]
 
Make sure that you wear a respirator when cutting it, desert iron wood dust is toxic!!!!

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A Knife is no more than an Iron Tooth

 
thanks for the advice, i always try to wear a respirator with exotic woods and other materials, you never know what they'll do.
 
your wood cutting bandsaw will work fine... i would lay out the lines with a pencil first. hopefully your bandsaw cuts straight. be careful with that wood cause it has some very hard spots in it that want to make your saw kick the wood back at you....go slow. you cant measure 1/16th inch with a bandsaw blade...i recommend you cut it into four 4.5 inch lengths...then into half lenthwise..then four 1/2 inch thick pieces... that way your fingers will still be there when you get finished...ALWAYS USE A PUSHSTICK WITH A BANDSAW.

[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 25 October 1999).]
 
Heed the good words of Striper128! I did a couple of knives for my Brother-in-Law and Father-in-Law with Ironwood scales, and had to replace the filters in my respirator!

That dust is like millions of little pieces of glass, that just shreds anything it comes across! Your resp, your lungs, your eyes...

On the upside, though, if you mix a fair amount of the dust with a small bit of water and make it into a paste, it make an excellent polish for most metals!


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It's the SUSPENSE that kills me! --Bugs Bunny
 
Oops...sorry...Striper28! Got fat-fingered on the 'board...

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It's the SUSPENSE that kills me! --Bugs Bunny
 
thanks for the advice guys, tim i'll make sure to cut them width first then half and half again, should i give the 1/16" for the blade?
 
one more thing...dont believe a word those guys tell you...the dust is good for you... its like heath food...it makes you cough and choke a little and that makes you get rid of all the toxins in your lungs.....so what if you get dizzy for a day or two???
 
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