wood that looks like walnut

[genek]

Has anyone ever encountered a wood that looks like walnut, but will take the teeth off of a new blade.
I had a customer to drop off a 3 x 3 section of wood that her father had glued up years ago. She wanted me to make a round end table for her. Just about a half hour ago. I started to cut the wood into a round shape. That wood took every tooth off of my new band saw blade like you had filed them off. I did not even get a inch cut. Does anyone know what kind of wood this is.

[bbrozo]

Gene -

My guess would be Ipe.

Bill

[genek]

what ever it is it took the teeth off fast.

[Brian Harnett]

Ipe weighs a lot more than walnut and is almost shiny when cut.

[genek]

My customer just came back to get her wood. She said That her dad Had worked on the New Jersey Board Walk and she thought the wood came from there. Brian this wood weighed about dbl that of normal walnut. I tried drilling it with a brad point it took the tip off and dulled the bit.

[ron_moorehead]

Here is some working issues with Ipe

Working Properties: Ipe lumber can be somewhat difficult to work with, especially with hand tools. Can have quite a blunting effect on cutting edges. Recommended that you use a reduced cutting angle, keep edges sharp, and always predrill for nails or screws. Have numerous extra drill bits handy. Ipe planks do not bend well, but the wood finishes and sands quite smoothly, with no splintering.

From. http://www.woodsthebest.com/ipe_decking/ipe-wood.htm

[Burkhardt]

Be careful, toxic too:
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Working_Safely_with_Ipe.html

The old board walk might have been Ipe, indeed... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/belmar-new-jersey-boardwalk_n_2439914.html)

[knight_toolworks]

ipe cuts fine on carbide blades I have cut tons of it cut it on the blandsaw and on the cnc. chiseled it too. if the teeth came off something is wacky I have cut the hardest woods without teeth coming off. so something is wrong with the blade or wood. one tooth coming off can peel off the rest if it is stuck in the wood.

[Guerra Cues]

If the wood is really heavy then you have brazilian ebony or coracao de negro.
I can take some pics tomorrow but that stuff is heavier than regular ebony desert ironwood. When you cut it changes to a lighter color and then turns back to normal. That stuff is harder than nails.

[myxpykalix]

I put a piece of Ipe thru my thickness planer, not cutting it that much and i slammed it off because the sound sounded like i was running a cinderblock thru my planer. But that looked more like poplar then walnut. Here is a piece of wood that is 6"x3"x3" and weighs 3.5 pounds and is called "Ironwood". It looks more like walnut (or cooked bacon) then ipe. This stuff feels more like fossilized wood. I've not cut any of it this was a piece given to me so i don't know how tuff it is.

Still haven't figured out what i can make out of it yet...:confused:

[knight_toolworks]

desert ironwood looks fantastic but it is some serious wood to deal with. a ton of silica in it and the dust is toxic. smells like dead animal. about the worst wood I have worked. ebony is easy really.

[genek]

The wood sort of looked like what jack showed. The wood was Heavier than normal walnut. I know it was at least 10 years old, She said Her dad worked on the board walk in New Jersey and she thinks the wood came from there. I had put a new blade on the band saw last week and Had only made a few cuts. Where the teeth was is smooth now. I have cut hedge apple (Osage Orange) that had aged, and Had sparks fly off the blade, But what ever this stuff was: was like cutting steel.

[ssflyer]

If I recall correctly, several of the New Jersey boardwalks were made of Ipe. It does look similar to walnut. I've cut a fair bit of it, but always with carbide tools.

If it is anything like manzanita, it cuts OK when relatively fresh, but is rock hard after a while...