old_picker 22nd July 2007, 05:22 PM wondering what merbau is like for:
glueing
working with chisel, router, plane
stability
i know it is used for decking or steps
it looks real nice and thinking of using it in some small projects
the open grain is not a problem for me
Cliff Rogers 22nd July 2007, 05:28 PM Sometimes the grain has an off-white or yellow 'fleck' in it that can look like recycled timber with old paint stuck in it.
Works well, I have used it for turning & have made a very solid work bench out of it.
Some people have an alergic reaction to the dust off it & the bare timber 'bleeds' when it gets wet.
Woodlee 22nd July 2007, 09:32 PM Sometimes the grain has an off-white or yellow 'fleck' in it that can look like recycled timber with old paint stuck in it.
Works well, I have used it for turning & have made a very solid work bench out of it.
Some people have an alergic reaction to the dust off it & the bare timber 'bleeds' when it gets wet.
Don't know if this is correct or not ,but I'm sure I read somewhere that the yellow fleck is sulphur.
Kev
journeyman Mick 23rd July 2007, 01:43 AM Some pieces can be prone to splitting. When routing lage chunks may blow out of the edge. Pva glue doesn't stick real well to it.
Mick
IanW 23rd July 2007, 09:45 AM I fitted out a bathroom with it - vanity, wall cupboard and panelling around the huge old cast-iron tub. It was ok to work with, dulls cutting tools pretty quickly, but certainly no worse than say Jarrah. I used resorcinol glue, in view of the location - see Mick's caveat above re PVA glues - and experienced no problems.
Yes - it "bleeds" like hell if the raw wood gets wet, but there were no problems with it in the bathroom. I used a gloss polyurethane for finishing, and thinned the initial coats down for maximum penetration in the belief that it helps. Came up looking good, and quickly mellowed to a deep brown, which is what the SWMBO of the day wanted. Last time I saw it, about 10 yrs post-installing, I reckoned the vanity top needed a quick rub down & recoat, but all the remaining surfaces were fine. Still looked straight and true all round, so stability was fine.
Sorry, no pics.
Gaza 23rd July 2007, 09:42 PM Some people have an alergic reaction to the dust off it
Yep sure do, have same problem with Brushbox
soundman 23rd July 2007, 11:12 PM both merbau and kwila ( same tree different place), I believe are underused cabinet timbers, most people viewing them as dirty old decking timber.
If you get a good piece polished up can look fabulous.
good, strong, stable... relativly cheap.
it has a few problems like evrything.
cheers
AlexS 23rd July 2007, 11:22 PM As Soundman says, it is a good timber for furniture making - bends and laminates well. Clean with metho immediately before gluing and use epoxy.
martrix 23rd July 2007, 11:25 PM I agree with you Soundman, but I am yet to find a piece that doesn't have the unsightly yellow sulphur deposits in the pores. You also cant stain the yellow away.:~ Tried wire brushing it out but no good. There is a chemical that will dissolve the sulphur but I think its hard to get and dangerous.
Here is a little project (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=40843)I made with it. I haven't found any problems with using AVS180 yellow glue.
soundman 24th July 2007, 09:48 AM the better the grade of kwila/merbau the less yellow stuff in it.
hand rail stock for instance if usulay laminated and the top slab usualy has little or no yelow vein.
I have seen a few pieces with little or no yelow vein but they arent common.
the pieces without is seem to be closer grained.
some people find it objectionable others just think it's a feature
cheers
rupert goodall 24th July 2007, 11:37 AM wondering what merbau is like for:
glueing
working with chisel, router, plane
stability
i know it is used for decking or steps
it looks real nice and thinking of using it in some small projects
the open grain is not a problem for me
much merbau is imported green ie not dry.......this may be a problem for glueing........if green it will be difficult to work and for small projects any subsequent movement due to drying may cause you problems........freshly sawn stock will often show as green timber , you can feel it as wet using your hand , also it can feel coloder than any dry stock ........png rosewood is a similiar product , generally a more interesting grain , very stable and good outdoors ....glues and works very well....rupert........www.woodworld.com.au
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