Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Wooden Spring on October 01, 2012, 10:32:57 am

Title: What's up with Ipe?!?
Post by: Wooden Spring on October 01, 2012, 10:32:57 am
OK, now I've used a LOT of oily, aromatic woods over the years - anything from cedar to cocobolo, and they all have their own specific smells, and all of them have a wonderful smell to me, UNTIL I CUT INTO IPE!!!   Does anyone else find that when you've been cutting into a lot of ipe, it makes your shop smell like you've taken a rotten egg, and burried it in an old shoe under a chicken coop??? But a BROWN egg, it's got to be a brown egg!!!  And cleaning the dust out of my shop doesn't help either... Do I need to spray Lysol in there? How can I make my shop stop smelling like gym shorts?
Title: Re: What's up with Ipe?!?
Post by: DarkSoul on October 01, 2012, 10:39:08 am
Hm, I agree that ipé has a smell to it, but I personally don't find it unpleasant. It's just that the fine ipé sawdust stings my nose real bad, up to 12 hours. It feels as if I sniffed pepper or somethings! :S I prefer working outside the shop when I work with ipé, and may occasionally wear a respirator when sanding the wood. But I still don't find the smell particularly bad...
Iroko or zebrawood...! Boy, THOSE are smelly woods!
Title: Re: What's up with Ipe?!?
Post by: boughnut on October 01, 2012, 11:46:54 am
IPE does not smell bad to me either, zebra wood smells like a pile of steaming dog poop though.  Ipe is a toxic wood to breath in the saw dust or sanding dust from so I suggest wearing a mask if posible when working it of sork on it out doors with a fan blowing cross ways to move all the dust away from you.
Title: Re: What's up with Ipe?!?
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on October 01, 2012, 03:25:57 pm
Bamboo smells like cooked cat pee to me  :P

Ipe has a sharp smell to me and burns my nose.  I don't think it makes the whole shop "stink".   ???

Aftican Black wood smells a little like Dr. Pepper to me.
Ebony smells a touch like Vanila.

Purple heart ... I forget. 

Bloodwood also has  a slightly sweet odor.

Unless you are using a high friction sanding method that builds alot of heat.  I've never smelled HOT Ipe.  All my power sanding is done with 50grt sand paper on a medium speed setting.  Agressive cut ;).  Purple heart turns black if you don't do that. 

I wish I could find some 40 grit sanding belts or even 35 grit?  Talk about fast cutting!
Title: Re: What's up with Ipe?!?
Post by: Wooden Spring on October 01, 2012, 05:49:52 pm
Greeeeeeeeeat... Now you crowd have got me wondering if there's a critter brought in by my dog that's decaying under my work bench...
Title: Re: What's up with Ipe?!?
Post by: Markus on October 01, 2012, 07:30:40 pm
Klingspor sell sandingbelts in 36 and 24 grit.
Title: Re: What's up with Ipe?!?
Post by: lostarrow on October 02, 2012, 12:39:24 am
Could be that particular board ,too. I once had a load of Red Oak that smelled like it was from a barnyard. Every board you cut into. Cut a bit of aromatic cedar or walnut, that should mask the smell with something more pleasant.