IPE box

[John K Jordan]

Oh, it is pronounced eee'-pay as well..., not like yipes!!! Not sure if I have heard it called Brazilian Walnut though. Color range can be huge, with greenish tint being common with streaking of reds and oranges. Don't think I have seen the color in the pictures up above though...

From the Wood Database, it is call ed Ipe, Brazilian Walnut, or Lapacho
Scientific Name: Handroanthus spp. (formerly placed in the Tabebuia genus)

For a zillion photos: http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/ipe.htm

To put it in perspective, Ipe is a touch lighter in weight than Mountain Mahogany but significantly harder on the Janka scale (15,620 N vs 14,230 N). Mature Ipe trees are larger, 2-4' dia.

JKJ

[Alex Zeller]

I'm amazed that you could turn the stuff. I've only used it for decking and the stuff has an unbelievable amount of silica in it. It seamed to dull almost anything I threw at it in a short amount of time.

[JohnC Lucas]

It's called "eee_pay because when you buy it's you "will-pay"

[Reed Gray]

When I first got some, years ago, it was going for $3/bf.... I am a bit surprised that it is harder than Mountain Mahogany... That is really hard. You can lay a board out in the sun and see it glitter from all of the silica. If I rip it on the table saw with a zero clearance insert, you get a pile of resin where the blade goes through the insert... Interesting stuff..

robo hippy

[JohnC Lucas]

I use Thompson tools and didn't have any trouble turning it. I was slow going on the inside so I switched to my Hunter carbide tools. They leave such a nice finish on hard woods.