teak

[devonwoody]

Will my P/T with HSS blades be capable in handling a large amount of teak boards(exlaboratary tops) or will they be useless after this exposure.

The reason I bring up this subject is that the axminster catalogue shews TCT and cobalt blades.

 

[Chris Knight]

devon,

Teak is pretty abrasive so you can expect severe blunting - however HSS blades can be resharpened by yourself or professionally (I think I paid £8 last time I had mine done professionally) and you can touch them up with a small diamond stone as you work.

Carbide will last between five and twenty times as long as HSS before needing resharpening, depending on the grade of carbide. Carbide will definitely need a professional service for proper sharpening. Looking at the Axminster prices, I would try HSS first.

Also don't forget carbide can chip and even if the blades are not blunt overall you will still have a less than perfect planing job with chipped blades.

 

[Anonymous]

devon

Only a small point but are you sure it's teak? I got some ex lab tops myself a while ago and they turned out to be iroko - apparently they have long been the favoured wood for the job. Same sort of problems as teak of course. So far I haven't had any problems using the p/t, but maybe I've been lucky.

cheers
Steve

 

[Gary H]

I've heard somewhere too that most lab benches were iroko. My memory fails me as to where though.. :?

How much?? (quantity and cost, please)

Gary

awaiting a good gloat from devon......

 

[Philly]

Devonwoody,
I had some Iroko to plane down for my workbench last year. The stuff is quite abrasive, but you have to bite the bullet and go for it. (Otherwise you'll be spending weeks with a handplane!! :lol: )
Take relatively shallow cuts, that will help a bit. The grain can be particularly gnarly, so this helps with tearout.
So just go for it (and order a replacement set of blades at the same time!)
Regards,
Philly

 

[devonwoody]

To Gary H,

Hows this for a gloat, 4 boards 7ft long 30" wide 1 1/4" thick

It might be iroko I havn't taken off the wood finish yet, but the end grain looks teakish.

I have only just got my P/T so I will get a bit of wear out of them before I start on these boards.

Thinking in terms of using some of this timber for and outdoor garden table, fancy a dropleaf garden table, I have seen photographs in the junk mail of garden catalogues that look nice. Anyone got plans of this design.

 

[Aragorn]

Hows this for a gloat, 4 boards 7ft long 30" wide 1 1/4" thick

:shock: :shock: 30" wide ?? :shock: :shock: Good luck getting them through the P/T!!

 

[Gary H]

Thats some fine lengths. Could have done with that for the garden benches just made for TPTB.

Any pics???

Come on devon, lets have the real gloat...the cost??
Or are you sparing us the agony?

Gary

 

[devonwoody]

The cost

Its a long story:- My wife takes out our poodle for his walkies most days, and she reports back to me the contents of any skips in the vicinity!!!
One day she said their are some pieces of timber that look like old doors in the skip in the Avenue. I went and had a look and Eureka!! they were not doors but the laboratry tops mentioned. I knocked at the door and was told to help myself. Thats it. No money passed hands!!!

Pictures have been taken but I do not know how to put them on this site . I could use the gallery site if picture insertion details are not forthcoming.

 

[Gary H]

Now that is a gloat!! :wink:
Well done. Its not often you get that kind of opportunity so you have to take it.
Enjoy the timber, devon.

Gary