Thread: working with Karri

Hi gang

I am presently building a sideboard (about 2.0m long x 550mm wide) using old Karri floorboards I obtained from a salvage yard. This has got to be the most difficult timber I have yet worked. While I have used a sawtable to rip to width (and remove the old tongue and groove edges), I have used hand planes to true up and surface the timber (Stanley #7 and #5 1/2, HNT Gordon smoother, and an infill finish smoother plane. Both smoothers have blades at 60* and 55* respectively). Trying to avoid tear-out has been extremely challenging as the grain constantly changes direction. In the end I have resorted to scraping the word and, eventually in desparation, to using a random orbital sander.

Is it worth it? Yes - the sideboard top is finished and the grain is stunning. However I feel that a planed surface (as opposed to a sanded surface) would have given it more three dimension.

I has worked with Karri about 6 years ago when I built my workbench. I dont recall it being so difficult then. Is this the experience of others?

Regards from Perth

Derek