Replies

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Mar 17, 2009 04:45am | #1

   Rich,

   I made the mistake of being lazy and feeding wax-coated lignum vitae through my planer a few months ago and gummed up the bed and rollers. If the wax is only on the end, or if you don't care about getting wax on the table (easy to clean off with mineral spirits), go for it. When I started making my lignum vitae plane, the first step was to scrape the wax off the surface with a card scraper. I don't think the wax would hurt the blade. It might even be good.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
   (soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

2. 
   BruceS | Mar 17, 2009 05:07am | #2

   As mentioned, scrape it off.  I've resawed both ebony and african blackwood.  Be prepaired for a mess and a pitched up blade.

   Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

1. 
   RichClark | Mar 17, 2009 03:28pm | #3

   Thanks for the reply's. Ill Scrape it down.RichCapt. Rich Clark
   --DUCT Tape is the "force"... It has a Light side and a Dark side and it binds the universe together

1. 
   dkellernc | Mar 17, 2009 06:13pm | #4

   There's another consideration.  Much of the "dip-waxed" exotics are so-called "air-dried", which means it isn't (dried, that is).  Much of the wood that I've bought in this condition is very wet, and will warp, check, and do the watusi when cut into smaller pieces.  The only solution I've found is to scrape the wax off with a card scraper and wait a few months for it to dry out.  I've measured a few "turning blanks" of ebony and rosewood treated this way by weighing it over the course of several months, and found it to have as high as 19% moisture content.