PDA

View Full Version : Cutting 1/8" ebony



Dee Gallo
03-25-2011, 12:22 PM
Has anyone cut 1/8" gaboon ebony? I have a request for 150 pieces to be cut but I don't want to tell them I can do it if ebony is one of "those" woods that don't cut well. These would be very small pieces, like 1" x 3/4" max.

I can get it from Rockler for $40 per square foot - does that sound like a good price? I've never gotten this wood before. Is there a better source? Is there a Creeker source?

Thanks everyone, dee

Gary Hair
03-25-2011, 1:18 PM
It cuts like butter - with my cnc router... not so great with the laser. I tried several settings and multiple passes, all I ever ended up with was a charred mess. I have a customer that uses a pretty fair amount of it, I'll ask him where he gets his from and let you know.

Gary

edit: a quick bing search for "gaboon ebony" brought up lots of sources and most of them are way cheaper than Rockler. I found one that sold 3" x 24" for $30. Here is the link to my bing search:
http://www.bing.com/search?q=gaboon+ebony&src=IE-SearchBox&first=11&FORM=PORE

Dee Gallo
03-25-2011, 1:26 PM
Thanks, Gary, that's what I was worried about. These are so small, I would not want to cut them with a saw and then have to sand edges. If I can't use my laser, I'll pass on the job.

Jarami Reid
03-25-2011, 1:30 PM
Hi Dee,

I actually cut some on Wednesday - it was about 2.5mm thick and it took me four passes with my 60 watt laser (extreme charring). If I were you I would acquire some and give it a try - but I think your instinct to test before committing to the job is the right thing to do.

Gary Hair
03-25-2011, 1:30 PM
Send them to me if you like, I'd be happy to either cnc them or cut on my saw. I have a crosscut sled that allows me to clamp pretty small pieces and these would be no problem at all.

Gary

Larry Bratton
03-25-2011, 1:34 PM
Dee,
I bought some wood called Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry). I had a heck of a time cutting it as it had a hardness value of 2350. Ebony has a hardness value of 3220. I can't imagine trying to cut that many little bitty pieces of that. I think you would be advised to pass on that one unless you can prove otherwise by doing some testing on the exact wood you would be working with.

Dee Gallo
03-25-2011, 2:23 PM
Send them to me if you like, I'd be happy to either cnc them or cut on my saw. I have a crosscut sled that allows me to clamp pretty small pieces and these would be no problem at all.

Gary

Gary, this sounds like a possible solution for me - but one more monkey wrench: the corners are rounded... still interested? If so, PM me with a price and we'll talk!

Lee DeRaud
03-25-2011, 3:06 PM
IMHO, that Rockler price ain't bad at all.
a quick bing search for "gaboon ebony" brought up lots of sources and most of them are way cheaper than Rockler. I found one that sold 3" x 24" for $30.That works out to $60/sqft, or 50% higher than Rockler's price.

Gary Hair
03-25-2011, 3:24 PM
IMHO, that Rockler price ain't bad at all.That works out to $60/sqft, or 50% higher than Rockler's price.

Well now don't I feel stupid... When I saw that my mind calculated it to be 3 square feet so it would have been $10/sq ft. - absolutly no idea how I thought that though... I wish I could blame it on a lack of coffee but I don't drink it, I'll have to blame it on my schooling - it's daytime and I went to night school.

Gary

Neil Pabia
03-25-2011, 3:56 PM
Gaboon ebony and ebony are two very different woods so the hardness of ebony should not be confused with the hardness of gaboon ebony. I have some in my shop, if you can hold off until monday, I will try cutting some and see how it goes.

Neil Pabia
03-25-2011, 4:11 PM
Dee, I just took a shot at it with some gaboon ebony sliced to .15" and got through it at 35 speed, 100 power, 500 freq and a whole lot of charring.

Dee Gallo
03-25-2011, 4:53 PM
Dee, I just took a shot at it with some gaboon ebony sliced to .15" and got through it at 35 speed, 100 power, 500 freq and a whole lot of charring.

So Neil, with the color of the wood being almost black, does the charring show a lot? Does it get all over the place (and fingers)? Thanks for running this test, you just happened to have some of this wood? That's amazing. I'm lucky!

:) dee

Neil Pabia
03-25-2011, 5:24 PM
I do some work with ebony and gaboon ebony. Gaboon ebony has some brown striation running through it, the charring is messy and I would not give it to a customer this way. True ebony is pitch black but is very sensitive to heat and tends to crack when heat is applied to it.

Chuck Stone
03-25-2011, 9:34 PM
True ebony is pitch black but is very sensitive to heat and tends to crack when heat is applied to it.

.. and sometimes, a year or more later.
Alton brings his sawmill to an importer who does a lot of ebony. They have to cut it under
a tarp because if the sun hits it they get about 50% waste from cracking.

You might consider Aftican Blackwood as a substitute. Likely to be less expensive, more stable,
just as attractive and far less frustrating. And it lasers well enough..

Dee Gallo
03-25-2011, 9:37 PM
.. and sometimes, a year or more later.
Alton brings his sawmill to an importer who does a lot of ebony. They have to cut it under
a tarp because if the sun hits it they get about 50% waste from cracking.

You might consider Aftican Blackwood as a substitute. Likely to be less expensive, more stable,
just as attractive and far less frustrating. And it lasers well enough..

Hmmmm. thanks, Chuck, I'll have to look into that.

George M. Perzel
03-26-2011, 1:26 AM
Hi Dee;
I have a 60 watt unit and can't cut 1/16" ebony in one pass without starting a fire because speed is so slow. Have melted one focus probe trying to cut clock hands.
Best Regards;
George
Laserarts

Dee Gallo
03-26-2011, 8:33 AM
Okay, George, that does it - I'm not even going to TRY to cut ebony! With all these facts in evidence, it would be a dumb mistake.

Thanks everyone, I knew I'd get some solid advice from you guys!

cheers, dee

Mike Null
03-26-2011, 11:45 AM
Dee

You might call these people and ask if they can cut the pieces for you. http://www.woodnshop.com/

I forget the owners name but have done business with them and they'll give you the facts.

Dee Gallo
03-26-2011, 12:46 PM
Thanks Mike, I'm contacting my customer about these people... he can deal directly with them and leave me out of it! Good find, thanks!

Bill Cunningham
03-26-2011, 3:30 PM
I had a fellow who makes earplugs (the kind that actually go inside a stretched out ear lobe..what ever turns ya on I guess), send me some ebony rings that he wanted engraved with a design that he could force fit gold wire in the engraved lines.. Many, quick low heat passes, 'still' resulted in charring..Ebony is for all intents and purposes un-engravable too.. I'm sure like everything else, there is someone, someplace, that has done it. But I'm not going to waste my time on it anymore..

George M. Perzel
03-26-2011, 6:53 PM
Hey Dee;
best thing you did today was pass on this job-you will sleep a lot better tonight!
Best Regards;
George
Laserarts

Dee Gallo
03-26-2011, 7:03 PM
Thanks George, I made a good decision thanks to all the help I got here!