Help with ebony stringing

[Jeff Monson]

Adding some stringing to a few drawer fronts and I'm having trouble slicing it. I've ripped 3/4" ebony into .35 strips and when I try to slice it I just seem to end up with broken pieces.

I have a L/N slicer and thickness cutter, I have tried cutting to final thickness and then slice and vice versa. I seem to get the same results either way.

I need some 20" long stringing and just cant seem to get pieces that long.

Is there a material that is easier to work with for dark stringing? Or are there some tips to make the ebony easier to slice?

[george wilson]

Are you trying to "slice" it with a stationary blade?

[Marty Barron]

I have seen someone use a pasta roller machine to cut stringing and it worked very well. Might be the answer to your problem.

Marty

[Jeff Monson]

George, I'm slicing it with a handheld slicer, you adjust the blade to a desired width and drag the slicer across the material until it cuts through or scores deep enough to snap off the stringing.

[Jamie Buxton]

I saw stringing. It wastes a lot of wood, but works. I use a tablesaw, a plywood blade, and a zero-clearance insert. I also don't try to make the inlay as thin as commercial stuff. I aim for a fat sixteenth or more. That gives it more strength during the slicing operation. It also lets me install it proud, and scrape it down, without fear of going through.

[Jeff Monson]

I saw stringing. It wastes a lot of wood, but works. I use a tablesaw, a plywood blade, and a zero-clearance insert. I also don't try to make the inlay as thin as commercial stuff. I aim for a fat sixteenth or more. That gives it more strength during the slicing operation. It also lets me install it proud, and scrape it down, without fear of going through.

I'm wasting alot of wood right now also, so you cut your strips 1st and then rip them with both operations done on the tablesaw?

[george wilson]

I think you are going to have to saw the stringing. If you had one of those 6" dia. .020" kerf tablesaw blades that Stewart MacDonald sells for sawing guitar fret slots,it would save money. The blade costs money,though. I can't recall the cost. I made one for myself. A thin as possible hollow ground plywood blade would be good,but I guess everyone uses carbide now. Use a zero clearance throatplate.

I took one of those steel plywood blades and mounted it on the faceplate of my metal lathe. That's what they make theirs out of. With a toolpost grinder,I ground 1 side of it down until I got it the thickness I wanted.

Brittle as ebony is,you'd probably get chips broken out if you tried to bandsaw them. You might have good results running them through with a piece of wood underneath for a zero clearance effect. Then,you'd have to plane off the bandsawed edges. Or,glue the strips in,using the bandsawed edge to help grip the glue. Leave the top of the strip sticking up enough to eliminate the rough edge when you smooth it out.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'm wasting alot of wood right now also, so you cut your strips 1st and then rip them with both operations done on the tablesaw?

If my strips are wide enough -- more than an eighth -- I run the stock through the planer to get that dimension. Then I use the tablesaw to cut what is going to be the depth dimension in the inlay. This way I get a really reliable width dimension on the inlay so it fits tightly. The depth dimension can be rough because I'm going to scrape it down flush.

If the inlay is going to be narrower than an eighth, I'd make the stock on the bandsaw, and then do the remainder of the operation as above. The bandsaw doesn't provide quite as tight control as the planer does. However, I'm generally using a contrasting color for the inlay, and a little bit of gaposis isn't obvious.

[Jeff Monson]

Jamie and George, thanks for the advice, I'll try to saw the stringing, the strips I cut were done on my tablesaw with a zero clearance insert.

FWIW Has anyone ever tried a black tinted epoxy to fill the groove in the wood and then scrape it flush to give the same appearance as ebony stringing? It would seem way easier, or am I just dreaming again.

[Doug Shepard]

I just hate working with stuff that thin, narrow, & brittle. I tend to favor 1/16" inlays on things and get it sanded to that thickness but unless I cut it about 3/16" or 1/4" wide it just falls apart while your trying to cut/chisel fit miters, apply glue, tape clamps, and so forth. While my glue channel us usually only about 1/8" deep or a skosh less I glue the whole thing in proud then trim it off later with chisels, planes, scrapers, etc. It wastes a bit of wood but it's a lot easier to keep it in whole pieces while you're doing it.

[David DeCristoforo]

Ebony is a "bee-atch" to work with, especially with small pieces. It's as brittle as glass and bits chip and flake off in the most unexpected ways. My approach to making "stringing" out of it is a bit different than what has been proposed here. I use the "drum end" of my edge sander to dimension the pieces. I clamp a "fence" that is about 2" wide to the table on the sander. The end of the "fence" has a slight curve. With the center of this curve positioned at a distance from the drum equal to the thickness I want my stringing, I can feed the pieces between the fence and the drum and sand them to thickness (or width). It usually takes a couple of passes depending on how thick the stock is and how much I need to remove. But with an 80 grit belt (and a slow feed...you can easily burn the belt) you can remove wood pretty quickly without any chipping or flaking. Here's a sketch:

127628

You can also do the same thing on a drill press with a small sanding drum.

[Frank Drew]

You used to be able to buy real ebony stringing, plus real rosewood, real boxwood, etc. Is that no longer the case?

I know, forget Constantine's or Dover, unless I'm mistaken their stuff is bogus, but how about some of the British suppliers?

[David Winer]

"I use the "drum end" of my edge sander to dimension the pieces. I clamp a "fence" that is about 2" wide to the table on the sander. The end of the "fence" has a slight curve. With the center of this curve positioned at a distance from the drum equal to the thickness I want my stringing, I can feed the pieces between the fence and the drum and sand them to thickness (or width)." -- David DeCristoforo (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?u=18967)

I like. I like. Very nice idea. I've never tried to include stripes of wood in projects, but now I will (judicially of course). I'm sure it takes a bit of practice, but this method seems to offer some control over the fragile strips.

[Tony Joyce]

"Is there a material that is easier to work with for dark stringing?"

Constantine's has black dyed veneer in 1/32" and 1/16" thicknesses.

Tonyhttp://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=127641&d=1252624454

[Jamie Buxton]

[I
Constantine's has black dyed veneer in 1/32" and 1/16" thicknesses.


Do you know if it is dyed through and through? That is, if I install it proud and scrape it flush, do I still have a black stripe, or does it turn grey?

[Tony Joyce]

What I've bought is uniform color through and through. I have used it to make my own two and three color stringing.

If you go to the link below, the left and center pictures show the Blk-Wh-Blk stringing I made using the Constantine's veneer. I have also gotten quality black veneer from this vendor -greatdane6- on the bay.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=1002357&postcount=4

Just to verify I glue the veneers face to face in about two inch wide strips and slice off the stringing. So what you are looking at is the edge.

Tony http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=127641&d=1252624454