What's the best way to prevent cracks in black and white ebony?

[robo hippy]

Never thought of the barrel method... Might have to try it with my Madrone, which is a "it starts to split before you take the chainsaw out of the truck" wood. I can see that it might work similar to the stretch film that I use, which can keep a blank of Madrone for a couple of months...

robo hippy

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Odie, I saw and read this old thread because I also purchased a piece of B&W Ebony this week and it was wet. Hopefully I have the same success on drying as you did. Did you ever turn another B&W Ebony piece again?

 

[Odie]

Odie, I saw and read this old thread because I also purchased a piece of B&W Ebony this week and it was wet. Hopefully I have the same success on drying as you did. Did you ever turn another B&W Ebony piece again?

Nope, Gabriel.....I haven't turned a B&W ebony bowl since this thread. I've seen a few, and bid on a few.....but haven't had one since then. B&W Ebony seems to be a pretty rare commodity, and most everyone appears to have trouble with it.

This thread is my "bible" for when I do have another opportunity to turn another. I figure the key to halting the cracks is to identify them early on, and seal them with epoxy.....so that moisture can no longer escape from an established crack. In the days following roughing out, it's imperative to find cracks as soon as you can after they first appear.....and I now know that the usual anchorseal coating will not stop cracks from occurring.....it must completely seal, and not just slow down moisture release. My plan will be to inspect the roughed bowl every day for at least a month after roughing it out.....maybe several times a day for the first few days.

(It's possible other things besides epoxy could seal a crack, but I do know that epoxy does work.....so that is the game plan.)

It would be interesting to see how this one, the subject of this thread, has faired with time. It's now in the collection of robo hippy. Maybe he can tell us how well it's handling some time afterwards. (Robo......I use those Robo-Rests quite often, and am glad to have struck up a bargain with you on that exchange!)

Good luck on this one, Gabriel.....and, keep us posted with your progress.....(with photos, if that's possible.) This old thread will be a good place to accumulate information for forum members who are interested in turning some B&W Ebony.

-o-

@Gabriel Hoff
@Michael Anderson
@robo hippy

 

[Alan Weinberg]

Cook’s has it for sale again today. Max thickness less than 2 inches. And expensive.

Search: 87 results found for "Black and white ebony"

Fine exotic woods, domestic woods and rare hardwoods are our specialty! Wide selection of exotic wood at great prices. Our customer service is exceptional.

www.cookwoods.com

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Nope, Gabriel.....I haven't turned a B&W ebony bowl since this thread. I've seen a few, and bid on a few.....but haven't had one since then. B&W Ebony seems to be a pretty rare commodity, and most everyone appears to have trouble with it.

This thread is my "bible" for when I do have another opportunity to turn another. I figure the key to halting the cracks is to identify them early on, and seal them with epoxy.....so that moisture can no longer escape from an established crack. In the days following roughing out, it's imperative to find cracks as soon as you can after they first appear.....and I now know that the usual anchorseal coating will not stop cracks from occurring.....it must completely seal, and not just slow down moisture release. My plan will be to inspect the roughed bowl every day for at least a month after roughing it out.....maybe several times a day for the first few days.

(It's possible other things besides epoxy could seal a crack, but I do know that epoxy does work.....so that is the game plan.)

It would be interesting to see how this one, the subject of this thread, has faired with time. It's now in the collection of robo hippy. Maybe he can tell us how well it's handling some time afterwards. (Robo......I use those Robo-Rests quite often, and am glad to have struck up a bargain with you on that exchange!)

Good luck on this one, Gabriel.....and, keep us posted with your progress.....(with photos, if that's possible.) This old thread will be a good place to accumulate information for forum members who are interested in turning some B&W Ebony.

-o-

@Gabriel Hoff
@Michael Anderson
@robo hippy

It is sealed right now and no cracks have formed, so I think I will let it dry for awhile on the shelf. I definitely will keep the thread updated, although it probably will be awhile...

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Cook’s has it for sale again today. Max thickness less than 2 inches. And expensive.

Search: 87 results found for "Black and white ebony"

Fine exotic woods, domestic woods and rare hardwoods are our specialty! Wide selection of exotic wood at great prices. Our customer service is exceptional.

www.cookwoods.com

I did see this today. I purchased a 3x3 spindle blank for boxes from Bell Forest Products up in Michigan for a really good price of $55. Hope it produces a good finished box someday!

 

[DON FRANK]

Odie, I have had the same issues with persimmon which is also an ebony. Next one I turn I'm going to put walrus oil or walnut oil and see if that slows the drying speed and reduces the cracking issue. Both of my failures were from green wood turned to final thickness which was 3/16- 1/4. I'm also going to try the method Roby hippy mentioned. I have used paper bags but never paper inside plastic.
The Rosewood shop near springfield mo is a huge supplier of ebony to the custom bow industry and also a supplier of wood for some of the major guitar makers. Mike the owner is an extremely knowledgeable guy and might be able to help you out with a phone call. He would also be a good source for future pieces. I was down there last week and visited for an hour. He has and incredible inventory.

 

[JeffSmith]

From the description it sounds as if the cracking is similar to the behavior of madrone burl - more from internal stresses than purely radial shrinkage. Wondering if boiling would help. Madrone burl with its shifting grain patterns reacts very well to boiling After initial roughing. Anyone tried it?

 

[Alan Weinberg]

nobody has mentioned soaking in 50:50 detergent/water like Ron Kent did successfully with Norfolk Pine. Just one more option to throw out there.

 

[Marc Banka]

After reading this thread I feel that I’d like to give it a try. Couldn’t find suitable blank, yet. Why try it? The challenge!
My plan is to treat it much the same as I deal with green Oak. Keep it sealed through rough turning, uniform wall thickness, including the base, tenon incorporated into the eventual foot, anchorseal thoroughly, cover endgrain with paper towel, anchorseal over that, and put it away.

I think that boiling or soaking with dish soap is contraindicated for oily woods. If it works some of the oils will be stripped, and the oils are a big part of what makes these woods especially delicious.

But going back to Odie’s epoxy solution, I see a few things. The surface coating works for the reasons he’s come up with, a near total seal requiring that the blank dry only from the sides, no endgrain water loss. The other aspect is strengthening the crack itself, which I feel is better accomplished with ca glue, the thin stuff, as it better gets to the bottom of the crack. Any crack started, even the smallest is a stress riser. So, even a small stress will be concentrated at that spot, and the crack grows. The thin ca will wick to the origin of the crack to best give that spot strength more in line with the surrounding fibers.

 

[robo hippy]

From my experience, the only thing the soap soak does is to make the piece easier to sand out, and this is particularly true with woods with high resin content which clogs up your abrasives. Boiling can work wonders for some woods. I do not like it for madrone. Main reason is that it muddles the colors together. Add to that, I really like the warped forms. I did get a 'dry' madrone burl once, and there was no visible cracking on the outside. The inside was totally honeycombed.

robo hippy

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I have had the same issues with persimmon which is also an ebony.

The persimmons I have cut down on my place so far are small and not in good shape. The cracking is definitely an issue. In my case the persimmon just looks dirty gray. Hard to find beauty in it. I have several large persimmons but haven't tackled any of them yet. What's been your experience with the color of persimmon?

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

The persimmons I have cut down on my place so far are small and not in good shape. The cracking is definitely an issue. In my case the persimmon just looks dirty gray. Hard to find beauty in it. I have several large persimmons but haven't tackled any of them yet. What's been your experience with the color of persimmon?

I Have only turned one hollow form from Persimmon and had no problems with cracks. It has even kept its bark rather securely attached. I did not get to the logs (about 8-9 inch )and they did crack. One thing that really surprised me is that the woo if bark is removed while green will turn a dark black on the outside. Also has black streaks of sap randomly in the wood and displays of black spots.