Lignum vitae gluing??

[mikekeswick]

I've just managed to get an 8 x 3 lignum vitae board and can see some interesting bows coming up in the near future! The grain is virtually perfectly straight , maybe even good enough for self bows but of course i'm going to back it as it's too valuable to risk it breaking. I'm thinking bamboo is the natural choice for a backing. So my question is has anybody out there tried gluing lignum vitae succesfully? It is obviously very oily and acetone is going to be essential but i'd like to know what glue and preparation methods have worked.
Thanks.

[blackhawk]

nope..but you sure got my attention,and you must post your results of this one mikey  ....and i agree with the boo for a backer  cool project,ive always wanted to come across that stuff but havent yet...lucky you

[mikekeswick]

Nobody used it??
This wood is amazing! It's sooo hard but also so oily.....Cutting 3 inches of it is like 6 of most woods!
I'm leaning towards using resourcinol for the glue-up. Cutting then preparing the lams on my drum sander then using a toothing plane blade to groove the surface somewhat. Or maybe just use 50 grit to get the surface rough enough for the glue to penetrate the surfaces a little.
Blackhawk this has come from the only place in England that has it (in big pieces)....pretty hard to find

[Buckeye Guy]

Do you have the genuine or the Argentinean ?
They both seem to be hard to come by! (protected species)
I think we epoxied for decorative use not sure I would want to use for a bow but if you have it go for it !
Guy

[Ian.]

Hi Mike

I have know bow makers to use it and they didn't get good results. Nothing wrong with trying though, I look forward to the results.

The bowmaker in question would have used Resorcinol, and I didn't hear of the problem being a bad glue line.

Ian

[mikekeswick]

This stuff is Guiacum officinale not Argentinian 'lignum vitae' (vera wood).
It's the real deal!
Ian - do you know who it was who used it and any idea why the results weren't great?
Being the densest wood in the world it's going to have to be treated a little different to most woods. 1.3sg wood is going to have to be made narrow and thick. I'm thinking stability might be an issue with elb's....and am going to just make a regular pyramid to start with.