Printable View
Hello,
I'm using sapele for the first time to carve a bowl, and it reminds me of ipe wood in that it has some sort of pearlescent quality to it. It doesn't bother me, I actually enjoy it, but I'd like to know if it's going to quickly wear down my gouge, if it's some type of metallic substance.
It's not just on the surface, it's throughout the entire block. Sometimes when I'm done gouging I will find a small pile of particles of it at the bottom of the carving.
Cheers
Attachment 491784
I assume that is a pencil line and you are talking about particles of a smaller size. Many southern hemisphere woods have a high mineral content. This gives us purple heart, bloodwood and so forth. I have not noticed sepele being especially hard on cutters. Pecan (for example) is worse just due to hardness in my experience. I know more than one forum member who has stated that they hope to never work with wenge again. I fight my way through shedua because the end result is so wonderful. Choose your battles but, cutters wear and we sharpen them. It's part of the gig.
Every piece of wood has differences, due to growing conditions/location.
https://www.wood-database.com/sapele/
I haven't had the issues you're experiencing, but that's how it is sometimes. Some woods do have a high silica content that can have a blunting effect on cutting tools.
Yes, that's a pencil line, poor photo choice. but actually, the particles I'm talking about happen to be dark grey/black and almost look like pencil shavings!
Every single dark line you see in these photos of this sapele contains these particles.
Attachment 491789
I have some wood like this. I dont know what it is... now wondering if it is sapele also.
My concern was whether it was some type of mold but as you say, it is uniform throughout the wood. Now I am wondering if I took a stiff brush to it, it might brush particles out...
The wood I have is very dense and hard.
Following ...