Ebony warps, is it "green"?

D

Dmitry.M

Joined
Jun 13, 2006
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Hi guys.
Few weeks ago bought piece of vefy nice looking ebony. The piece was completely sealed in paraffine. Smells good, looks perfect. I cut original size of 2"X2"X12" in smaller pieces. Scales were 1/4"and 1/2" thick. And few blocks for the full handles. I cut several small inserts very accurately to fit into the metal frames. Roughly 1/4"X1"X3" size. After 2-3 days they shrunk and were loose. Up to 1/32" gap overall.
Week later I mentioned that 1/2" thick scales warp!
And the 1"X2"X6" block started to shrink from the ends and it has ckecked at the end.

I never had this kind of a problem with ebony before. Could anyone tell me what is wrong and what is the reason?
I cut it with hack saw, no high heat nothing else. The pieces were indoors in the same room all the time. Was this wood green????:confused:
 
I've had shrinkage and warping with all types of wood, I had a piece of cocobolo that was cut into a handle sized piece and I had it for about 7 years before I used it and it still shrunk when I put it on a knife. It was suppose to have been seasoned when I got it.

I also had a some desert iron wood that was seasoned when I got and warped quite a lot after a few months in my workshop. I think wood acts like a sponge, absorbing and losing water depending on temperature and humidity and is not stable at all. I also think wood is full of stresses and once cut the stresses will slowly warp the wood out of true so its best to leave enough spare to allow the warped bits to be removed once it has stabilised. I think for accurate work, its best to cut it slightly over size and leave it to stabilise for several weeks before cutting to final dimensions.

Wood is certainly a challenging material to use.
 
Shing thank you for the answer. I know that wood is like sponge and breath a little. Normally within few percent of the size. But not THAT much. And this wood shrinks in one direction - getting smaller. I am just wandering if I can stabilize it or it is too raw and green for that?
 
Ebony seems prone to cracking and warping more than most woods. I've had pieces of ebony that I personally air-dried for over 3 years that cracked withing 48 hours of being cut for fore end tips.
You might want to look at african blackwood as a replacement.

jim
 
Music instrument and walking stick ebony is typically air dried for a minimum of 10 years before use.if the piece is fully waxed it is not dry,fully waxed pieces are wood turners material which is usually turned somewhat "green".Ebony does not take well to stabalizing,but you could talk to WSSI or other companies for their opinions.
 
Shakudo, thank you for the answer. I did not know, that turners use green or greenish woods.... I thought that if the piece is in wax it is absolutely dry. And to keep that dryness they waxed it... my bad..... next time will not make that mistake.
 
I am with Jim. I love ebony and had some for over 5 years and any applied them to a knife and they curled up after a few months. I am sticking with Blackwood now.:D
 
Hi Dmitry, Even a block of 'dry' wood can have internal stresses and curve right off the saw blade. If your comfortable with the seasoning of the wood, try flattening one side and mount it up right away. I think waxed end grain on blocks for sale are more to keep the block in good condition (minimize end grain checking) rather than any assurance of the moisture level. Ebony can be frustrating. Best of luck, Craig
 
Shakudo is correct about instrument-grade ebony being cured for a long time. This, along with its relative rarity and the waste involved in finding nice "clear" pieces without streaks, contributes greatly to its high cost. Demand is also a factor; ebony provides a very fine, smooth playing surface and resonates with a bright, strong but fairly warm tone. Like rosewood, it's nearly impossible to put a finish on it, nor does it need one for instrument purposes. I presume it would be quite difficult to stabilize.

It's also worth noting, guitar/violin fretboards made of ebony are always quite thin, no more than 1/4", and are glued down to a neck made of a more stable wood (usually maple) with a steel rod inlaid between them for strength. Even so, it's fairly common to see guitar necks with ebony fretboards trying to lift off the base wood, not to mention inlays and frets showing gaps from shrinkage. The same is true of ebony bridges on acoustics; they have an unsettling tendency to peel up off the face of the guitar, and are a real bitch to glue back down. There's a reason why you never see a full neck made of solid ebony. Nor will you likely see an ebony tabletop, for instance.

Furniture and cabinet makers allow for the "breathing" of the woods they use; luthiers work under much tighter tolerances. When you get down to a piece as small as a knife handle, 5% shrinkage can be disastrous, as you have found.

Ebony is very beautiful, but for a knife handle it's about the last wood I would want to work with.
 
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