That's what I said.Originally Posted by Sam Force
Just rip it down the center and you're done
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That's what I said.
Just rip it down the center and you're done
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For a sphere of wood with a Janka hardness of 4390 I would want to approach a power saw with more confidence than I have in hot glue. Lignum Vitae is the hardest wood in the world. It is also slick and waxy.
"The hardness of wood is measured using the Janka Hardness Test. This test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 0.444" into the wood to a depth of half the ball's diameter. Generally acknowledged as the hardest wood, lignum vitae (Guaiacum sanctum and Guaiacum officinale) measures in at 4,500 pounds-force (lbf) on the Janka scale. That's more than twice as hard as Osage orange (one of the hardest domestic woods) at 2,040 lbf and more than three times harder than red oak at 1,290 lbf.
Lignum vitae, found in Central and South America, has long been used in applications requiring extreme durability and density, such as ships' tackle, carvers mallets, and hand plane soles. Naturally infused with a wax-like resin, lignum vitae polishes to a high sheen, making it a prized wood for turners. And because it is self-lubricating and water-resistant, it was, until recently, the preferred substance for shaft bearings for silent-running submarines. In fact, the highest grades of the wood are still sometimes referred to as "bearing" grade."
Last edited by Maurice Mcmurry; 02-25-2023 at 11:57 AM. Reason: cut and paste info from the web
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Ive done it on small pieces with an f style clamp. Dont go all the way through of course. Complete by hand. If its large I prefer a chainsaw.
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Lawn bowls are about the size of a softball.
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If it is a round solid ball mount it on your lathe and cut in half with a sharp parting tool
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That's what I'd do. Either that, or I'd flatten the tail stock end (cut off the final bit with a parting tool).
Mike
[I've used lignum vitae a few times. I found it worked easily, maybe because the wood is a bit oily.]
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 02-25-2023 at 5:45 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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Janka hardness has little bearing on how it cuts.
It's a nice thing to know for use in a project like the OP's mallet but tells nothing about how it machines. It can dull blades but I've never had an issue with cutting it.
I'd rather cut Lignum Vitae than purpleheart which is not as hard according to janka
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I have never worked with it. We did spend a couple of afternoons on the bowling greens in Scotland. Our boys were teenagers and thought it was going to be terribly boring. They ended up having a lot of fun. It is twice has hard as osage orange, I suspect it is going to a bit of a challenge.
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I've cut a lot of different oddly shaped pieces on the bandsaw. For something round like a cylinder I usually make a custom v-block (which often isn't exactly v-shaped but custom shaped to support the round closer to the full diameter, something like this: \__/ . I usually make these out of chunks of solid wood but could be glued up 8/4 construction lumber. I make it deep enough so it still stays together when the saw kerf clears the object. I'd probably make one to fit the ball in the direction of the cut, then fasten blocks of wood on either side to constrain it.
Using screws through plywood (maybe shaped like a box?) and into the wood is a very safe way to cut round and odd shapes.
I turn and mill lignum vitae but never tried to use hot glue on it. Since it is oily/waxy will the glue stick?
JKJ
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That was my concern as well, the oily properties of the wood. That's why I suggested a screw clamp. Parting on the lathe was also a good idea I felt.
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