Nyatoh wood

[Hannu Rinne]

Has anyone experimented laser engrave "Nyatoh" wood ? Worth to try to engrave images ? Strange species for me, but seems to be available here...

Regards,
Hannu

[Dee Gallo]

I was curious and googled nyatoh hardwood. Just my uneducated opinion, but these three factors would make me not want to try it:

Workability: (http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/database-terms/#workability) Some species within these genera have high silica content and will rapidly dull cutting edges. Those not containing silica work fairly easily, though there still tends to be gum buildup on tools.
Scent: (http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/database-terms/#scent) Reported to give off a sour smell when being worked.
Safety: (http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/database-terms/#safety) Working with Nyatoh has been reported to cause irritation to mucous membranes. See the articlesWood Allergies and Toxicity (http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/) and Wood Dust Safety (http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-dust-safety/) for more information.

[Hannu Rinne]

Dee,

Thank you for the information and the interesting links! I'm still too curious to test it, so I will buy a piece :) I will post a picture after.

Regards,
Hannu

[Michael Hunter]

Nyatoh is used as a substitute for teak in garden furniture, though it is much less durable and needs treating/sealing for use outdoors.
It has a fine straight grain and should laser well.
Dee's safety warnings are true of most tropical hardwoods which often produce sawdust and splinters ranging from unpleasant to downright nasty* - just use the dust control etc. that you would need for any other wood.

* Teak is ***really*** bad and adds silicosis to the other more normal nasties!

[Martin Boekers]

Dee, brought up a good point. Many woods are health hazards when working with.
Our wood shop is tested for toxicity a few times a year to make sure of ventilation
reactivity.

I never had a reaction to wood working until I started turning pens. I take more precautions now!
Do your research before working with exotic and hard woods.

[Hannu Rinne]

I had a little misunderstanding here with the vendor about the wood. There wasn't any solid wood, only glued laminated timber. Anyway, I bought a piece of it and I tested it with laser. It worked quite well, no residue on raw wood, but the contrast could be a little darker. Small details came out pretty well. Wood itself looks a bit like cherry. All in all, I think it is suitable for laser engraving... Attached is a photo of raw wood and the other one show vector engraving on raw wood.

Michael, is teak oil suitable sealant for Nyatoh ?

My knowledge about wood is minor so I would like to ask how does glued laminated timber manage in outdoors (if protected well) - or would it be better to use it only indoors ?

Regards,
Hannu

[Michael Hunter]

Hi Hannu

I think that teak oil would finish it off nicely for indoors.

Personally, I would not trust laminated wood outdoors without a good coat of epoxy or high quality synthetic varnish.

[Hannu Rinne]

Michael,

Thanks for your answer! I have to try to find some solid wood for outdoor use (laminated was cheap to buy - solid is not, as everything here :))

Best regards,
Hannu