Ipe Brazilian hardwood - has anyone used this??

Hello all -

I was strolling through a local lumber store and came across some

long lengths of Ipe Hardwood. After a little research, it turns out that this

is a very popular wood for outdoor decking, is very hard, almost knot free,

and if you believe everything you read online, has the same fire rating as concrete...

It appears to be a dark wood, like Mohogany, and should finish up very nicely.

 

Has anyone used this wood before?

Any problems, likes or dislikes?

 

I was tinking of using it for my inner and outer gunnels and possible for

my leg braces.

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Greg

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Greg Jensen on April 5, 2012 at 9:32am

I keep forgeting the about the search function. There is a bunch of great info already posted here.

Questions answered, looks like ipe will work fine.

Thanks all.

Greg

Permalink Reply by Jayson Hayes on April 5, 2012 at 9:41am

Greg, i have used Ipe a few times for my drift boats but have never used them for the gunnels before, might be a little hard to bend without steaming. Ipe is pretty hard on tooling and the dust is really bad for you so use a dust mask if you decide to use it. it does take a finish very nicely if your using a oil based finish. the specific gravity of ipe is pretty heavy to (heavier than water) so i would stick to using it as accent pieces like your gunnels so you dont add to much weight to your build,

Jayson

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on April 5, 2012 at 12:17pm

I talked to my local wood guru. Bending it will be a problem. However you may be able to make short segments as a protective piece for your chine cap. One thing to consider is every hole you put in near the water level is another point of potential water entry. So some sort of sealant is needed. You could be the guinea pig and try some just to see what you can do with it.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Adam "Dutch" Gottschling on April 5, 2012 at 9:48pm

I used IPE on a late 50s Rapid Robert project i did two winters ago. Replaced 2 gunnels. It was difficult to bend but  not the end of the world. It picked up a very nice dark color when oiled and looks great with the old boat.  

Leg braces would look cool with IPE, heavy as hell though.

Dutch

Permalink Reply by Don Hanson on April 7, 2012 at 10:12am

  Ipe splits easily. The dust and oil from it is Brutal!  Really odd when you sand it, you get a green dust.  It has lots of silica in it that dulls up tools, but it should do the job if you are careful.  Nasty stuff to work with..unpleasant smell.

  I trimmed the inside of a house for a fellow who wanted that wood used....Took a while, almost had to drill every nail hole first, but the finished product was attractive.

  it sould certainly make great floorboards. Very hard stuff.

  Don Hanson

Permalink Reply by Brian Schiller on April 9, 2012 at 6:00am

Greg,

  Ipe is an odd wood. It is a rainforest tree and very dense. The wood itself can be very unstable if it is stored in very dry climates. I work in the hardwood flooring industry and have had some nightmares arise with this wood. If you need to glue it, only use epoxy products. Normal wood glue will not work. As others have said, bending it will virtually be impossible. If the boards end up shrinking on you they will not come back to original shape no matter how much moisture you introduce to it. The wood itself has an oil in it. Once it evaporates the board shrinks and will not expand back out. If you do use it make sure to wear a dust mask. The sanding dust can be extremely harmful to your lungs. Hope this helps. Brian

Permalink Reply by Rob Zelk on April 9, 2012 at 12:08pm

I've build a few decks with it.  One we drilled and plugged, all turned out beautiful.  But its hard on blades and like the others said, pre drilling is required.  The saw dust is non toxic though some people do have a very bad reaction to it.  Its a great smelling wood though!  Once you get done with a deck it has a pleasant aroma.

One thing to be careful about is the quality of ipe you get, there is junk ipe as a lot of yards which is why it is much cheaper that others.  If an ipe board isn't heavy there is a problem with it.   :)  I've thought it would be a great wood for boats but I'm a carpenter and not a boat builder quite yet (unfortunately). 

Cheers,

Rob

Permalink Reply by Greg Jensen on April 10, 2012 at 7:56am

Hello all, I finished up my scarph cuts on the Ipe the other day, and am sitting around waiting for the temp. to get high enough to finish laying up the glass on the outside of my boat.

Thought I would post some update pics.

A little sanding and they will be ready to epoxy together.

And I didn"t believe but the dust really is green. Strangest thing I have ever seen.

Thanks everybody for the help & advice.

Greg

 

 

Permalink Reply by Rob Zelk on April 10, 2012 at 5:52pm

You should see it when its fresh in the lumber yard, the yellow you see in your ipe grain is almost neon green!   Cool, can't wait to see the finished product.

Rob

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