What are these woods like to work with?

[Jester129]

Does anyone know what Red Grandis and Gabonese Gombe like to work with and are they 'nasty'? Also, what does the finished article look like?
Are they expensive?
While I'm here and asking questions, what would you expect to pay for American Hard Maple please?

 

[peter-harrison]

I've worked with red grandis a bit. I wouldn't call it nasty. It isn't that expensive. The look is a bit brash but that's just my opinion!

 

[johnnyb]

Red Grandis is a moderate price=sapele. Maple is really expensive as are most American species atm

 

[Hornbeam]

Rough sawn maple is around £80 cuft but also varies with thickness

 

[Jester129]

Is the American Hard Maple exactly that - tough on chisels/plane irons? Thank you for the replies so far, they are appreciated.
I've never heard of Gabonese Gombe, although I have led a relatively sheltered (ahem) life. Anybody?

 

[Ttrees]

Red Grandis is seemingly this timber, not particularly nice to look at,
nor very hard.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...it-really-cost-effective.108026/#post-1176586
Not heard of Gombe before.

Now, the issues of work-ability to me, doesn't have any factor.
That's only when you encounter much tougher stuff, like the Auzzie eucalyptus timbers,
or Shedua type hardness.
That's not very common really.

Some folk mention Iroko as being hard to work, and indeed I used to think it were more difficult
to plane, i.e tool going blunt after 20 shavings, but that was before I learned how the close set cap iron will protect the edge...by a huge amount, that is.
When the cap is working, the shavings will not be curled, but straight.
David W, and Derek have articles which won't set you astray on that subject.

Similar deal with chisels, just aim out of the cut.
Use a drill for the majority, I've never seen a real need for anything fancy,
and buy what you would like to see on the finished article.
All the best
Tom

 

[Fitzroy]

Hard maple is not hard on your tools, it is simply a species of maple where the timber is harder than the other species.

Sycamore (another in the same tree family : Janka Hardness = 3,500N
European Oak : Janka Hardness = 6,000N
Hard maple : Janka Hardness = 6,500N
Lignum Vitae : Janka Hardness = 20,000N

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test

 

[Cabinetman]

Hard maple is not hard on your tools, it is simply a species of maple where the timber is harder than the other species.

Sycamore (another in the same tree family : Janka Hardness = 3,500N
European Oak : Janka Hardness = 6,000N
Hard maple : Janka Hardness = 6,500N
Lignum Vitae : Janka Hardness = 20,000N

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test

Dead right, I love working with hard Maple, the shine you get on the wood from a plane or chisel is instantly gratifying. Certainly teaches people not to use abrasives.
Ian

 

[Against_The_Grain]

“Gombe” is better known as Okoume here, it’s quite nice stuff to work with though a bit soft and has a tendency to leave a fuzzy surface after planing in interlocking sections. Most commonly seen as plywood here, particularly the “Gabon Starply” brand.

 

[2sheds]

Red Grandis is seemingly this timber, not particularly nice to look at,
nor very hard.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...it-really-cost-effective.108026/#post-1176586
Not heard of Gombe before.

Now, the issues of work-ability to me, doesn't have any factor.
That's only when you encounter much tougher stuff, like the Auzzie eucalyptus timbers,
or Shedua type hardness.
That's not very common really.

Some folk mention Iroko as being hard to work, and indeed I used to think it were more difficult
to plane, i.e tool going blunt after 20 shavings, but that was before I learned how the close set cap iron will protect the edge...by a huge amount, that is.
When the cap is working, the shavings will not be curled, but straight.
David W, and Derek have articles which won't set you astray on that subject.

Similar deal with chisels, just aim out of the cut.
Use a drill for the majority, I've never seen a real need for anything fancy,
and buy what you would like to see on the finished article.
All the best
Tom

I thought Red Grandis is eucalyptus, quite nice to look at and durable?

 

[Ttrees]

I thought Red Grandis is eucalyptus, quite nice to look at and durable?

Maybe it is a eucalyptus, but not the type that say, Derek is accustomed to,
none the less cheers for the wee nugget of info.

I struggle to believe that it looks nice, or indeed very durable,
well compared to everything else I've pulled outta skips anyway.
Softish, like lesser meranti, very long pores, and gets badly water stained,
Care to point me to an example of it being used?
Perhaps with some stain and pore filling it might look a bit nicer.

Tom

 

[Against_The_Grain]

Care to point me to an example of it being used?

Red Grandis was pushed very hard by the timber merchants about five years ago as a cheaper alternative to Accoya for external joinery. I remember the International Timber representative dropping off a sample and the Lathams representative who was selling Accoya in vast quantities at the time coming along a few days later and saying "That's a load nonsense, it's no good, etc..." Then a few months later the Lathams representative came in with a Red Grandis sample like International Timber, only with their own logos on it, and he was singing the praises of it as an Accoya alternative for half the price much like how International were trying to sell it.

I've not worked with the stuff, but the samples I saw were extremely fast-grown as you get with Eucalyptus, Red Grandis is known as the "Eucalyptus Grandis" and it's a colossal tree when fully grown, with the growth rings being in the region of 1" of growth per year. I have heard mixed opinions about the timber in that it's not as stable as made out to be, with joinery moving substantially in the seasonal changes and surface cracks appearing through the paint over time.

 

[Ttrees]

@Against_The_Grain Wealth of knowledge you've got, I enjoy reading your posts.