Replies

1. 
   mwenz | Nov 11, 2007 07:06pm | #1

   No help on the sources--I live in the northwest.

   Wenge is splintery, edges are fragile. I would opt to well ease edges. More eased than with other exotic species.

   Use sharp cutters. Even with shaper or router bits, make sure to hone them during the project. I use those flat DMT diamond "paddles" to hone mine with. I also ran my shaper and routers with a higher speed than I would perhaps on other species for a given cutter diameter. I always planed on an extra light pass or two with the larger shaper cutters for the final depths.

   It's more porous than I thought it would be. I liked the effect of sealing with a few applications of garnet shellac before top coats. The reddish hue from the garnet shellac richens the blacker color of the Wenge. Same effect would probably come from tinted base coats of lacquer. But with the shellac one gets to soften most of the porosity and fill some in.

   Take care, Mike

2. 
   saschafer | Nov 11, 2007 08:04pm | #2

   Three things to keep in mind with wenge:

   1. splinters
   2. splinters
   3. splinters

   The wood looks great and polishes well, but you have to be really careful to keep edges crisp and free of splinters.

   West Penn Hardwoods appears to have a decent supply of wenge. I think they're pretty close to where you are.

   -Steve

    

1. 
   JeffHeath | Nov 11, 2007 09:57pm | #3

   Before I read your post here, I was thinking one thing............

   splinters, splinters, splinters...........

   That was going to be my reply, but you beat me to it.

   To the OP, get yourself a nice pair of tweezers!  You know, the ones made for woodworkers with the real sharp points.

   Jeff

1. 
   Norse | Nov 12, 2007 05:17am | #4

   Thanks for the tips...... I have a tweezers with a magnifying glass for those pesky little ones....... I'll keep it handy.Norse

3. 
   splintergroupie | Nov 12, 2007 08:16am | #5

   Don't stint on the glue because it's very porous. I have a scar on my head from a piece that delaminated on a paduak/wenge glueline while spinning on the lathe. Yellow glues can make an obvious glue line in such dark wood, so use poly glue, epoxy, or Tite-Bond III. I prefer epoxy, personally, but get the stuff that takes a long time to set.

   Yes, very splintery, but it gives a very nice finish with no fuzzing at all. You can get some interesting effects (white/black striping) by bleaching it. I've never seen any with figure and very little that wasn't absolutely straight-grained; glue-ups for panels are a snap with little waste. Variations in color in unfinished wood are not even noticeable once it's been finished with an oil or solvent-based finish. I've never used water-based finishes on wenge, so i can't speak to that.

4. 
   ted | Nov 13, 2007 07:41am | #6

   every so often a student comes in with wenge. Besides the splinter issue I have noticed a very definite difference in Late wood vs. Early wood hardness. Like Fir the early wood will sand away much more quickly than the late wood and if not careful you'll be left with annoying mounds across a flat sawn surface.

5. 
   saschafer | Nov 13, 2007 08:04am | #7

   I came across an old article on building a dining table out of wenge. This statement from the author caught my eye:

   ...it works something like aluminum laminated to balsa wood.

   -Steve

    

6. 
   philip | Nov 13, 2007 11:02am | #8

   It must be one of the "dirtiest" timbers around- if you work it enough to make some dust you will look as though you worked in a coal mine.
   Splinters- you are challenged merely to pick up a rough sawn board without getting at least one splinter: and they fester.
   Nevertheless good quality Wenge is not too problematic to work and well worth the effort, although it is abrasive and harsh on brittle edges and blunts cutters quickly.
   It takes a solvent stain well so you can make it as dark as you like, easily.
   It burns easily when power sanding....
   I would say it is of average stability. Very heavy.Smells good.....Can be difficult to glue with PVA type glues.

   Philip Marcou
7. 
   md2453 | Nov 13, 2007 11:35pm | #9

   Wenge;

   I buy Wenge veneer from Certainly Wood http://www.certainlywood.com and have been exceedingly pleased.  As for solid wood depending on how much you need I'd start local and see what they can get for you, if that isn't a possibility try Rick Hearne at Hearne hardwoods http://www.hearnehardwoods.com .  They've got more gorgeous lumber there than I've ever seen anywhere.  We've used them several times for exotics with good results.

   Just my personal bias here but try to use veneer if you can, the limited supply of this stuff will go further if we all help our clients understand that nobody is ever going to see the inside of those planks!

   Also, if you've never worked with this stuff prepare to be picking little brown splinters out of your hands for weeks!

   Madison

1. 
   Norse | Nov 14, 2007 02:27am | #10

   Thanks for the tips. I also found Bristol Valley on the web but haven't been there yet. http://www.bristolvalley.com/store.asp?pid=1419&catid=19559Norse

8. 
   dtraversi | Nov 14, 2007 03:26am | #11

   I bought a pair of thin- but tuff "mechanic style" gloves and used them all the way up to the finish stage.

   I loved working with the stuff- all sorts of little nuances that you don't get with cherry.

   have fun,
   Dave

   Settle Down People... Settle Down

   
   

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   Edited 11/13/2007 7:28 pm by dtraversi