Ipe furniture

[Brian Akers]

I'm currently working on a bench using reclaimed ipe decking. This stuff is riddle with broken screws (whoever installed it did not predrill...). Anyhow, I've got an ipe oil natural finish I'm going to use. I also have some wax emulsion for the ends. I've put wax on the ends for now to reduce checking but what about when I go to finish the bench? After sanding do I need to reapply the wax on the ends again or can I just cover the whole thing in the Ipe oil and call it a day? Also, decided not to use glue since it will be outdoor. I'm using threaded rods instead.
Thanks!

[John TenEyck]

If the decking is reclaimed to me that means it was installed for quite some time and reached equilibrium. I think you can cut it now without having to seal the ends. I would just use the oil.

FWIW, I've had good luck gluing Ipe' with Gorilla glue.

John

[Brian Akers]

Thanks John!

[Howard Acheson]

Ipe wood contains a large amount of natural oil. That's the reason it lasts so long in an outdoor environment. The Coney Island ipe boardwalk has been doing just fine for over 100 years with virtually no maintenance. Finishing with oil would be redundant. There is no need to treat the end grain either.

I would be a little leery of using any threaded rod. The ipe is going to expand and contract with changes in relative humidity. If you tighten the rod with a washer and nut, as the wood expands it will apply lots of pressure on the rod and the nut and washer will be drawn into the wood. When the ipe contracts, the nut and washers will no longer be exerting any power. If you again re-tighten the nuts, eventually the wood will be damaged or you will have some sort failure.

[Brian Akers]

Ipe wood contains a large amount of natural oil. That's the reason it lasts so long in an outdoor environment. The Coney Island ipe boardwalk has been doing just fine for over 100 years with virtually no maintenance. Finishing with oil would be redundant. There is no need to treat the end grain either.

I would be a little leery of using any threaded rod. The ipe is going to expand and contract with changes in relative humidity. If you tighten the rod with a washer and nut, as the wood expands it will apply lots of pressure on the rod and the nut and washer will be drawn into the wood. When the ipe contracts, the nut and washers will no longer be exerting any power. If you again re-tighten the nuts, eventually the wood will be damaged or you will have some sort failure.

So what would you suggest for joining all of these pieces together?

[Brian Akers]

Here is the bench I am building except I won't be doing the decorative arch stuff.
337639

[Brian Thompson]

If the decking is reclaimed to me that means it was installed for quite some time and reached equilibrium. I think you can cut it now without having to seal the ends. I would just use the oil.

FWIW, I've had good luck gluing Ipe' with Gorilla glue.

John

FYI - Fine Woodworking found Gorilla Glue to be significantly weaker with Ipe than Titebond III or Titebond I, or even Hide Glue.

[John TenEyck]

FYI - Fine Woodworking found Gorilla Glue to be significantly weaker with Ipe than Titebond III or Titebond I, or even Hide Glue.

Yes, that's true, but they weren't using exterior grade Ipe'. Ipe' as you get it from the mill is only semi air dried. The stuff I bought was well over 20% MC on the surface, higher inside. At that moisture content Gorilla glue works better than TB III, and will survive subsequent moisture and temperature changes. I hate Gorilla Glue - except for gluing exterior grade Ipe' for outdoor applications.

FWIW, Advantage Lumber, a very large (the largest?) supplier of Ipe', recommends Gorilla Glue.

John

[Howard Acheson]

As John has recommended, Gorilla glue seems to work well. On one project my shop made, we used
Gorilla glue but we first wiped the surface with lacquer thinner wiped dry to remove the ipe's oil. In an outdoor environment, the edge glued panels are going strong.