Reclaimed sapele

[Accipiter]

@Trevanion ... possibly Afromosia? That is very silky smooth... more so than Burmese teak. Offered as a possible.

 

[Accipiter]

Hope you recover quickly.

Thanks Bob... very much more with it this morning .

Here's a couple of photos showing the little white flecks you can get in Iroko. Also showing the more brown colour...

This piece I planned about two weeks ago... if not three. It 'feels' waxy if I run my fingers along it. Do your boards have that sort of 'waxy' feel? Sapele doesn't

Anyway... whatever it is you're very fortunate to have it

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

Bob, I have indisputably teak here; will drop over soon and show you it. Very characteristic smell, silicaceous inserts that blunt blades, and yes, wee white flecks in the grain - the odd time, not as a given.
Red sawdust? Yes, in artificial light, teak dust (and a freshly planed surrface) can appear red. Mostly, it is dirty brown.

Sam

 

[Jonathan]

I was taught those little white bits in Iroko (sometimes big bits) was silica, hit a big bit and your cutting edge is gone.

 

[Lons]

Bob, I have indisputably teak here; will drop over soon and show you it. Very characteristic smell, silicaceous inserts that blunt blades, and yes, wee white flecks in the grain - the odd time, not as a given.
Red sawdust? Yes, in artificial light, teak dust (and a freshly planed surrface) can appear red. Mostly, it is dirty brown.

Sam

Thanks Sam, always good to see you for a catch up.

I've planed a couple of bits and taken some 'photos which I'll upload tonight. It's left me no clearer as I'm convinced now it's likely a mix of woods.

 

[Lons]

Okydoke, I've taken some photos so maybe can get to the bottom of it? Some of the photos are a bit strange, it was chucking it down and my camera on the iphone doing strange things with the light. I've just noticed what looks suspiciously like a nick in my blade - bugger.

The shovel of sawdust came from the collector at the tablesaw, doesn't look red to me now.

I planed an edge and a little off an end of three different short sample boards, two are similar but number two is different in appearance, weight.

No three especially is quite heavy and the surface a bit waxy leaving a slightly sticky film on my hands, planed easily I didn't notice a strong small from any of them.
End grain looks pretty similar to me.

 

[Raymedullary]

As I said, Iroko. I cannot be more certain.... and believe me I've used a lot of it.
I'll put my house and even my tools on it.

That's not teak.

 

[Accipiter]

Iroko and board #3 teak... OR a very dark piece of Iroko

 

[Raymedullary]

Iroko and board #3 teak... OR a very dark piece of Iroko

Its all Iroko. I've worked with more teak than (probably) most. Its iroko.
Here is my house (and my Diston handsaws)

 

[Accipiter]

Its all Iroko. I've worked with more teak than (probably) most. Its iroko.
Here is my house (and my Diston handsaws)

I used to sell loads of the stuff - sawn and planed - when I worked at Charlton's Timber Merchant in Radstock until made redundant in 1992. I saw/handled a few colour variations from a gold to mid brown but don't recall any as dark as #3. Got a few splinters from it as well... There were a few times when I almost mistook a boad of Teak as Iroko - and vice versa . Having seen the colour variations of the English yew I've been sorting through it wouldn't surprise me that #3 is also Iroko ... Your house - and Diston handsaw remain yours

They also had a double glazing department/company (using Iroko, Sapele and Brazilian Mahogany for same) as well as the sawmill for home grown hardwoods and the sales for same plus imported hardwoods and exotics for turning and all sorts of craft supplies - 2 shows annually. Many different styles of gates made from Iroko as well as farm gates from Keruing - that was always bleeding resin especially during summer.

 

[Lons]

What about the waxy surface Ray? Can that happen wit iroko? i had to use soap to get it off my hands. I didn't notice that when I was initially cutting as I wore gloves.

 

[Jonathan]

That’s Looks a little bit like Iroko, it has a natural oil content, and feels waxy.
When gluing structural joints make sure you clean the joints with acetone or the joint will fail

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes all three Iroko, n1 is quite pale, n3 is quite dark, but it’s the end grain of all of them that convinces me.

 

[Planeiron]

What teaching establishments threw out is/was criminal. Must be 40 odd years ago now a mate of mine worked in a residential teacher training college in SE London. Solid oak wardrobes were quite literally being chucked from first floor windows, skipped and burnt. I salvaged enough to make two small tables which I still have but as a flat dweller at the time I had no room to take more.

Couldn't agree more. I rescued 2 of these old glass slide cabinets that were being loaded onto metal cages to be skipped! The other one holds a selection of tools and miscellany. This nicer one is in the house. It even has lovely plans of the piece on the underside of some of the drawers.

 

[Cabinetman]

Suspect they drew it out to work from and then just used it up, really good to see it though.

 

[shafiq]

It's a largish double garage but with a pitched roof a good 1m higher than normal and I have a single garage which I built on to the side of it a long time ago.

I think they call it, 'thats mahasive'.. lol. I am so glad I don't have that much space Lons or the wife would be keeping the previous kitchen sink (figure of speech... toilet might be more accurate as thats what we had removed) as a 'just in case'. You should share the sapele

 

[Lons]

I think they call it, 'thats mahasive'.. lol. I am so glad I don't have that much space Lons or the wife would be keeping the previous kitchen sink (figure of speech... toilet might be more accurate as thats what we had removed) as a 'just in case'. You should share the sapele

I do have a stainless sink in there though had to cut the draining board down to make it fit. My wife has threatened to put a bed in there a couple of times. What I find is the more space you have the more it gets filled up.

 

[shafiq]

Deleted... Suffice to say that I'm making a shoe shelf in protest at my wife being a instigator of slave-labour. Oh, and I threw away lots of lots of (cheap, plastic) trophies of the kids, but still haven't owned up. Saved us at least 0.5m² of space (not sure what that is in US money, sorry .

@duke that better

 

[duke]

Thats actually more or less what (someone we both know, outspoken, don't say sharpening in his presence) said about why he hardly used to throw things away when living inside a massive chapel type converted building. To this day I've never admitted to throwing away the kids (cheap, couture plastic) trophies from their mosque classes. I just couldn't help it, they were getting everywhere and I knew what was coming.

Thankfully we live in a (much much) slightly smaller place than yours. When we first got married she wouldn't allow me to put up cupboards - WTH - as they make the place look messy. Instead I had to live with all my stuff all over the floor!

I don't know where I'm going with this except that if my wife/kids ever read it I'll be in so much trouble. Anyway, back to woodwork (I actually did know where I was going for a change) so her new thing now is to start the new project as I'm just about completed on the old one. Current projects recurrent on the go...

Hers (which she starts but then somehow I end up being nagged to death into conpelting them), the toilet room, porch way downstairs... Anyway I'm gonna stop cos I'm not getting anywhere. What I will say is that in the middle of refurbish (we're talking plastering, new window ledge and everything in between) of them two areas as an example, she flippantly mentioned why I'm not making her a shoe shelf.

At that, I jumped like a jack-in-the-box and went to assess the wood situation in the outhouse. Started making it using the spindles I saved (for you know what... but have probably forgotten... think lofts and balustrades ) and an old nasty bench she'd had commissioned from some random pretend woodworker.

Ripped it down, put it through the thicknesser and used another 2x4 as the 4th leg. Then she comes and asks what I'm doing not doing the plastering and 'why are you making a shoe shelf'... In response to the 'did you tear your hair out' question that many might be asking... I've been married 20 years and am mainly bald .

Shoe shelf is looking (Shakers might be proud) a bit rough around the edges but coming on nicely!!

I have read this three times and I am still confused.
It's past your bedtime.

 

[shafiq]

I have read this three times and I am still confused.
It's past your bedtime.

Lol. I'm on nightshift Duke. I really ought to delete it but some will make sense to Lons . I'm fresh but dyslexia teacher used to tell us, 'tell em what you wanna tell em, tell em, tell em what you told them'.

Hence, I obviously was trying to tell too many stories at once

 

[duke]

Get it, me wife often says what the hell are you going on about.

 

[duke]

Hey shafiq, check out a Canadian production of " Little Mosque On The Prairie", very entertaining.

 

[shafiq]

Get it, me wife often says what the hell are you going on about.

She's part of my problem Duke. Always looking for a new project. Starts it then pestering me until I concede to doing it. Then it's my job and I'm always trying to figure out ways of doing woodwork, making my shed base or riding the bike. I have to cycle 40 miles to work just to get a ride in

 

[Lons]

Lol. I'm on nightshift Duke. I really ought to delete it but some will make sense to Lons . I'm fresh but dyslexia teacher used to tell us, 'tell em what you wanna tell em, tell em, tell em what you told them'.

Hence, I obviously was trying to tell too many stories at once

I did understand at least some of it. I doubt I'd have been married 20 years on that basis though, I'm lucky my wife is easy going and just accepts I do what I do and it usually turns out OK.

I started off the way I meant to go on. 6 months married had a 2 bed bungalow and I wanted to pull down an internel wall. She wasn't at all keen and couldn't visualise the extra space it would give so I took a day off and when she came home from work that day the wall was out and piled up in the garden. "Ooh that is better" she said. Job done, rarely questioned me again though we do discuss everything.

 

[shafiq]

I did understand at least some of it. I doubt I'd have been married 20 years on that basis though, I'm lucky my wife is easy going and just accepts I do what I do and it usually turns out OK.

I started off the way I meant to go on. 6 months married had a 2 bed bungalow and I wanted to pull down an internel wall. She wasn't at all keen and couldn't visualise the extra space it would give so I took a day off and when she came home from work that day the wall was out and piled up in the garden. "Ooh that is better" she said. Job done, rarely questioned me again though we do discuss everything.

Thats fantastic Lons. For me it took almost 10 years before she even allowed any cupboards to be put up (very strange I tell ya). Now when I want to upgrade my bookshelf, the standard response is that 'you never read your books anyway, take em to the charity shop'. Gotta laugh, or I'd cry. I'm almost 50 now, surely there can't be much linger than another 20 to go .

 

[AndyP]

Bob, to misquote Brian Clough; we sit down and discuss everything then do it her way….

 

[shafiq]

Bob, to misquote Brian Clough; we sit down and discuss everything then do it her way….

Lol

 

[Accipiter]

...<snip>... What I find is the more space you have the more it gets filled up.

Even if you have a 'small' space and when you make some (mobile - or otherwise! ) unit to put stuff in *out of the way* to make more room (and a tidier space at that) something else takes it...

 

[shafiq]

My mum used to do a good one. Every so often she'd just chuck out as much 'gathered' stuff as she could get her hands on. As a result the house always remained rather tidy. Here here to 'mums'. Poor thing, the other day I was doing her wooden wheelchair ramp upgrade (council assessors were rather impressed when they came to check how they could support her wheelchair mobility) as my sister had fallen through a failed joint in the 'mark 1' version.

Anyway, I told her that I couldn't tidy/sweep up the saw dust and someone else should do it from the (7 in total) kids. She still can't speak fully (dysplasia... not dysphagia which is unable to swallow) and express herself. But it didn't take me long from her gestures to understand what she was telling me.

She was saying that when she was able (pre massive stroke/brain attack) she'd have been right on it tidying up the mess and clutter. @duke I managed it. Just one story stated clearly (after a 12 hour night shift looking after a 'young neck breather [tracheostomy]).

 

[Lons]

My mum was rather crafty. Dad used to moan at her because she never did any decorating and he thought she could at least pick up a paintbrush, so she did one day when he was at work.
Old victorian house, painted panel doors. She put down newspapers under a door and painted one side but used the whole of a 1 pint tin (pre metric). A huge pool of paint on the papers and thick blobs still running down the door when he got home - he never asked again.

I was very young but will never forget the grin and the wink she gave me as he stormed off muttering under his breath.