Richard M. Wolfe
04-11-2007, 5:36 PM
First of all, hello to everyone. I got registered a couple days ago and have made a reply to one post but thought I would open a thread and say hello by way of this question.
A couple years ago I was given a nice chunk of Texas ebony about 12" by 20" that I think would make a nice natural form piece (lamp base or whatever). The guy I got it from said he had had it for about 15 years so it's well seasoned. It doesn't have any bark but the sapwood is still on and I would like any opinions on getting rid of it and marking or scarring the heartwood as little as possible. The sapwood is nothing like the heartwood; it's light colored and fairly soft. On and off over the past few months I've tried a hand chisel (not much headway), air chisel (a lot of racket with little results) an angle grinder (a lot of dust with little results). The sapwood is tight to the heart and won't peel from there. The only thing I have thought of that I haven't tried is sandblasting with maybe walnut or pecan hulls. Do you think that might work or anyone have any other suggestions? Like maybe bury it in the back yard for a year or tie it behind my pickup and drive to Dallas? :) Thanks for any replies.
Richard
I feel kinda like a snob putting my middle intial in but I notice there's another Richard Wolf (without my "e") that posts a good bit and hope it'll help avoid confusion. My bio: Sold stuff at a craft mall for several years and if nothing else that's taught me that I never want to make another heart cutout. Right now I'm in the process of setting up a wood operation with a friend. We have a Woodmizer LT-40 and have about finished a 40'x60' building to process lumber and build stuff and are going to put in a kiln pretty soon (I hope, anyway). I'm about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth, TX so you know what that means - mesquite and pecan.
A couple years ago I was given a nice chunk of Texas ebony about 12" by 20" that I think would make a nice natural form piece (lamp base or whatever). The guy I got it from said he had had it for about 15 years so it's well seasoned. It doesn't have any bark but the sapwood is still on and I would like any opinions on getting rid of it and marking or scarring the heartwood as little as possible. The sapwood is nothing like the heartwood; it's light colored and fairly soft. On and off over the past few months I've tried a hand chisel (not much headway), air chisel (a lot of racket with little results) an angle grinder (a lot of dust with little results). The sapwood is tight to the heart and won't peel from there. The only thing I have thought of that I haven't tried is sandblasting with maybe walnut or pecan hulls. Do you think that might work or anyone have any other suggestions? Like maybe bury it in the back yard for a year or tie it behind my pickup and drive to Dallas? :) Thanks for any replies.
Richard
I feel kinda like a snob putting my middle intial in but I notice there's another Richard Wolf (without my "e") that posts a good bit and hope it'll help avoid confusion. My bio: Sold stuff at a craft mall for several years and if nothing else that's taught me that I never want to make another heart cutout. Right now I'm in the process of setting up a wood operation with a friend. We have a Woodmizer LT-40 and have about finished a 40'x60' building to process lumber and build stuff and are going to put in a kiln pretty soon (I hope, anyway). I'm about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth, TX so you know what that means - mesquite and pecan.