ipe

[Jerry Thompson]

I have come by two pieces of ipe. They are both 28"x8x 11/2". The stuff is heavy and harder than woodpecker lips. I was thinking of using some of it to make a sole for a jointer plane. Can I look forward to a lot of tool sharpening doing this? What other things should I know before venturing out into this?

[James Kuhn]

Ipe will quickly dull non-carbide bits, blades and knives. I have never tried scraping the stuff, but sanding goes pretty well all things considered. The oils in the wood need to be knocked down with acetone (thinner or mineral spirits didn't seem to get it done) just prior to gluing or finishing. I wouldn't bother with water based finishes, just couldn't get them to penetrate; I've had good luck with epoxy sealers or modified tung oil. On the plus side, once you manage to get it shaped and finished it is absurdly tough and very dimensionally stable.

[John Shuk]

I have seen handplane with Ipe soles and I imagine it is a long lasting choice. It is kind of tough on saw blades but really hard as far as drilling goes.

[John Miliunas]

Jerry, Ipe is the closest known wood to steel that I've ever come across! :eek: Heck, it's even got steel beat, because it won't rust! Keeeripes...I think it may even be heavier than steel! I've even though of trying to weld the stuff instead of gluing it! :D Seriously, tough stuff. Don't even dream of machining it with anything other than carbide equiped cutters, except maybe for drilling. It's an extremely stable wood and, given those characteristics, I'd say it's a great candidate for a plane sole. :) :cool:

[Mike Thomas]

After building a deck with Ipe I was left with a lot of scraps and a few left over boards. I have worked it with all my normal tools, planer, jointer, TS, router, etc with very good luck. I built a cross cut sled and used Ipe for the fence and it worked out well. I also used some small pieces last year to make some keepsake boxes as christmas gifts. I had no trouble finishing it.

[jim gossage]

jerry,
it sounds like you have a big enough piece to make us all plane soles! good luck and post pics.

[Michael Keating]

The orginial ice breaker ships were made of Ipe. Thats gotta tell you something about its strength. I have about 11 pieces of Ipe decking that I am going to make a workbench top out of.

That is quite a thick piece of ipe.

Mike

[Phil Hirz]

Forget the soles, make the whole plane out of it. A lot of people like more weight with their smoothers. Plus, as others have pointed out, it doesn;t rust. :)