Any experience with Ipe for furniture?

[Mark Singer]

Brian,
What finish was put on the deck....oilor varnish? Just wondering ...I have used it and it seems to gray like teak.

[Brian Hale]

Brian,
What finish was put on the deck....oilor varnish? Just wondering ...I have used it and it seems to gray like teak.

Mark
The boat consul i built isn't stained or finished, just bare Ipe. It is a bit gray but not as much as the teak deck boards in the rest of the boat.

Beian

[Peter Kuhlman]

Thank you all for the responses. I have been out of town and did not get to check for any posts.

I viewed the incredible Ipe furniture pictures posted by Bob Hyde - WOW!!

Lynn - I live just North of Baton Rouge in Zachary and work over in New Roads most of the time.

Earl - I will contact the sources you mentioned - thanks for the list.

Did a search on my name trying to find this post and found out that I really SCREWED UP! I was a winner way back in February for the free stuff drawing but I missed the notification .

Again - thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Pete

[John Christiansen]

Man I can't believe the number of people that claim IPE is hard on their tooling. What kind of junk cutters and bits are they using?

Ipe is the nicest tooling wood you will ever work with. clean crisp edges, no feathering, no tearout and no sanding necessary when you are done. It is sweet wood to work with.

Go to my site and peruse the two picnic table pages. The Miter saw you see in the background was purchased new when we started building tables. The same blade remained on that saw through all of it. That's hundreds if not a thousand cuts made with the same blade. And that blade has still not been removed from the saw and cuts just fine.

As to the original question. How would it be for furniture? There was someone just recently, within the last week, I believe he was from the Bahamas. That posted some pictures of an IPE desk and chair set that he had built. Absolutley gorgeous. If I didn't have so much Cherry available right now I would be considering building my next indoor project out of IPE.

[Bill Turpin]

I have turned several pens from Ipe scraps I got from a pro shop that makes deck chairs and swings. The color is Hershey chocolate. The wood turns very nicely, like any good, heavy tropical hardwood. 600 grit sanding will put a gloss on it as good as a lot of friction polishes. The last batch of furniture this shop made... the customer wanted it painted WHITE. This wood is way too pretty to cover with paint.

Bill in WNC mountains

[Bob Hyde]

John, I couldn't agree with you more... Ipe mills about as well as any wood I've ever worked with. Obviously, as it is with almost all wood, the key is sharp and decent quality cutting edges...
If there's a downside (other than bouncing a chunk off a toe) it's the #%$*%$# splinters that seem to fester the second they get beneath skin!
To anyone thinking about giving it a whirl.. go for it, you won't be sorry.
bob

[Mike Cutler]

Peter. Ipe is great for outdoor funiture. It doesn't split or crack and left on its own it weathers to a beautiful slate grey color, you will need to seal the end grain though. The heat and humidity in your area shouldn't be a concern, if needed you could cover the furniture when not in use. It can be sealed with UV blockers to retain it's original color. The grain of the wood is very dense and tight, which makes for very smooth surfaces,ie no splinters in your hiney when sliding into a deck chair. You will have to predrill screw/nail holes, the wood is too dense to try to force a screw or nail thru. I've never experienced the rapid dulling of tools with Ipe that I was warned about, but I would reccomend a drill that plugs into the wall for pre drilling. I'd pay the extra $ for stainless steel screws or nails. I will caution you that the furniture will be heavy when completed, but it will require little or no maintenance for life. Did I mention that the furniture would be heavy.Good luck.