Any experience with Ipe for furniture?

[Peter Kuhlman]

I am curious if any of you have used Ipe ("E-pay") a South American incredibly heavy dense wood for furniture? It supposedly is becoming more used in bridges, decking and such. The claimed problem is that it is hard to machine. I live in southern Louisiana and need wood that is super durable to stand up to the heat, moisture, UV, bugs, etc to be used for outdoor furniture. Supposedly "true" mahogany would be a great choice as well but I have not used it either. Any experiences to share?
Thanks.
Pete

[Chris Padilla]

I've heard the same things about Ipe that you have, Peter. Cypress (aka Swamp Ash...I think) is another good choice for an outdoor wood.

[Lee Schierer]

I think either Wood or Workbench just did an article on using IPE for furniture. Apparently it wears and weathers well, but dulls tools and the finished piece weighs about twice what it would if made from other woods. They had a deck chair and touted that the chair would never be blown over by the wind.

Correction: It was American Woodworker July 2004 edition that had the Ipe article. They compare it to working metal.

[Peter Kuhlman]

Lee, Yes I saw the same article and that is what got me thinking of using Ipe. It is not stocked in Louisiana but is available by truck. The humidity here is so high that mold and mildew are a real problem and while Cypress is fairly commonly available, it gets mold and mildew buildup very easily and is hard to clean off.
Pete

[Chris Padilla]

Good info, Peter...Cypress works well in dry Colorado! :)

[Brad Schmid]

I helped put a very large Ipe deck (>1000 sq ft) on my dad's log home about 6-7 years ago in Western PA. It's weight/density kinda reminds me of Hardi-Plank with grain color :) You have to drill pilot holes/countersink for the fasteners (he used stainless screws). It is hard on cutters.

Left unfinished, it will change color over time. His was finished with Penofin (w/ UV blocker). I have to admit, I have never seen a deck withstand weather like this does. It sees a good mixture of weather, temps from -30 to +90, lots of snow, rain, and sun. It looks as good today as when it was installed and the color hasn't changed at all. Not one board in the entire deck has warped, twisted, moved or split at all; not even the ends. It didn't shrink either, so all the spacing is the same now as when it was installed. The thing that amazes me is the resistance to scratching. Abrasives (sand, dirt, etc) don't seem to have much adverse effect. There are no traffic trails, even at the main door.

Brad

[Lynn Sonier]

Peter, I live in South Louisiana also, Thibodaux. Where do you live?

[Earl Kelly]

Peter, have you tried Acadian Hardwoods or Hogan Hardwoods for IPE. I think Acadian is around Hammond and Hogan is around Baton Rouge. Either one of them should have it. Also try Riverside in New Orleans.

[Bob Aquino]

I havent built any furniture with it, but did turn a few freedom pens with a scrap piece I got at a local yard. Turns very well and with just a clear finish is very dark color, almost like dark chocolate. I would think it would do well for furniture too. I've heard it called "Brazilian Walnut" too.

[Michael Sloan]

First time posting for me.

I am about halfway through building a dining table for my deck out of IPE. I started out calling it a picnic table, but the project has turned into WAY too much work not to give it a higher class name.

IPE is HARD

However, it machines well, albeit slowly, with very clean and sharp edges. I cut myself by sliding a finger along the edge of freshly jointed piece.

However, unless you have a well equipped shop, joinery for an IPE chair is going to be a challenge.

IPE is HEAVY

I expect my table to weigh about 200+ pounds when finished for a 54 inch round slat top drop leaf table. This may be a problem. For sure I am not going to move it around much.

IPE looks REALLY NICE

I am excited about the grain in my wood, and the overall look of the project.

Mike

[Chris Padilla]

First, WELCOME TO THE CREEK, MIKE!!! :)

What did you pay per bf for your Ipe? Oh, we LOVE pics!!! :D

[Michael Sloan]

The IPE was about $4.75 per BF from Vienna Hardwoods in Virginia.

I promise pictures when I get a bit closer to finishing.

[Lee Schierer]

I just recalled at lunch today when I was walking on it, there is a boardwalk in Erie that is made of IPE. It has been in place for at least 10 years and shows no sign of deterioration despite, snow, road salt, rain and having water under it for much of its length, etc.

[John Shuk]

I have an Ipe frront porch on my house in NY I love it. Very tough on cutters. You also have to deal with the end grain to prevent checking. I used anchorseal which is the recommendation of most distributors. I don't know what to use on furniture but I have seenn what happens if you don't do anything and it ain't pretty. I used www.LUMBERLIQUIDATORS.com for my wood they were very cheap. I have seen Amy Fraser an occasional contibutor to Fine Woodworking use it in some projects so it must be pretty good.

[Brian Hale]

I built the consul for my Boston Whaler from Ipe about 7 years ago. It's been outside year round, uncovered and still looks like new, albiet somewhat gray as that what Ipe does as it ages unprotected. (similar to Teak)

Make sure you get Air dried for outside projects and Kiln dried for inside sutff. When i built my consul, i used regular 1x6 decking boards (air dried) Building it took me several months and by the time it was done i was refitting several joints due to expansion/contraction.

Sand to 220 or better and it takes on a polished look that will reflect light. Really cool.

By the way, it won't float.

Check out IpeDepot.com. They're in NY and sell it by the linear foot up to 6x6 and 2x10

Brian :)

[Mark Singer]

Brian,
What finish was put on the deck....oilor varnish? Just wondering ...I have used it and it seems to gray like teak.

[Brian Hale]

Brian,
What finish was put on the deck....oilor varnish? Just wondering ...I have used it and it seems to gray like teak.
Mark
The boat consul i built isn't stained or finished, just bare Ipe. It is a bit gray but not as much as the teak deck boards in the rest of the boat.

Beian

[Peter Kuhlman]

Thank you all for the responses. I have been out of town and did not get to check for any posts.

I viewed the incredible Ipe furniture pictures posted by Bob Hyde - WOW!!

Lynn - I live just North of Baton Rouge in Zachary and work over in New Roads most of the time.

Earl - I will contact the sources you mentioned - thanks for the list.

Did a search on my name trying to find this post and found out that I really SCREWED UP! I was a winner way back in February for the free stuff drawing but I missed the notification :( .

Again - thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Pete

[John Christiansen]

Man I can't believe the number of people that claim IPE is hard on their tooling. What kind of junk cutters and bits are they using?

Ipe is the nicest tooling wood you will ever work with. clean crisp edges, no feathering, no tearout and no sanding necessary when you are done. It is sweet wood to work with.

Go to my site and peruse the two picnic table pages. The Miter saw you see in the background was purchased new when we started building tables. The same blade remained on that saw through all of it. That's hundreds if not a thousand cuts made with the same blade. And that blade has still not been removed from the saw and cuts just fine.

As to the original question. How would it be for furniture? There was someone just recently, within the last week, I believe he was from the Bahamas. That posted some pictures of an IPE desk and chair set that he had built. Absolutley gorgeous. If I didn't have so much Cherry available right now I would be considering building my next indoor project out of IPE.

[Bill Turpin]

I have turned several pens from Ipe scraps I got from a pro shop that makes deck chairs and swings. The color is Hershey chocolate. The wood turns very nicely, like any good, heavy tropical hardwood. 600 grit sanding will put a gloss on it as good as a lot of friction polishes. The last batch of furniture this shop made... the customer wanted it painted WHITE. This wood is way too pretty to cover with paint. :(

Bill in WNC mountains

[Bob Hyde]

John, I couldn't agree with you more... Ipe mills about as well as any wood I've ever worked with. Obviously, as it is with almost all wood, the key is sharp and decent quality cutting edges...
If there's a downside (other than bouncing a chunk off a toe) it's the #%$*%$# splinters that seem to fester the second they get beneath skin!
To anyone thinking about giving it a whirl.. go for it, you won't be sorry.
bob

[Mike Cutler]

Peter. Ipe is great for outdoor funiture. It doesn't split or crack and left on its own it weathers to a beautiful slate grey color, you will need to seal the end grain though. The heat and humidity in your area shouldn't be a concern, if needed you could cover the furniture when not in use. It can be sealed with UV blockers to retain it's original color. The grain of the wood is very dense and tight, which makes for very smooth surfaces,ie no splinters in your hiney when sliding into a deck chair. You will have to predrill screw/nail holes, the wood is too dense to try to force a screw or nail thru. I've never experienced the rapid dulling of tools with Ipe that I was warned about, but I would reccomend a drill that plugs into the wall for pre drilling. I'd pay the extra $ for stainless steel screws or nails. I will caution you that the furniture will be heavy when completed, but it will require little or no maintenance for life. Did I mention that the furniture would be heavy.Good luck.