Iroko

[Welderpaul]

Not quite metalwork; well, it is in a way.

We are making some privacy panels for an apartment block shortly. Outer frame is formed from flat bar, with a bar on edge to form a perimeter T frame, with one leg facing inwards.
Iroko boards 100 x 20 roughly, fixed either side of the flat, hit and miss pattern.
I hear that it is a yellowish timber, and weathers to a greyish colour?
Does it require any coating or finishing? Its in an external environment.

 

[madkayaker]

if it is the stuff i think it is you leave it to do its natural thing and if you protect it it rots!

 

[madkayaker]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroko but its nasty stuff to work with!

 

[Drains]

Not quite metalwork; well, it is in a way.

We are making some privacy panels for an apartment block shortly. Outer frame is formed from flat bar, with a bar on edge to form a perimeter T frame, with one leg facing inwards.
Iroko boards 100 x 20 roughly, fixed either side of the flat, hit and miss pattern.
I hear that it is a yellowish timber, and weathers to a greyish colour?
Does it require any coating or finishing? Its in an external environment.

Ooh, fancy. No, requires no treatment. It's an oily wood like teak and doesn't rot. As with all timbers, external finishes have to be renewed on a regular basis, so this one is good as you don't have to go there.

If you want it to look special and shiney when new, give it a good brushing of teak oil/danish oil/cooking oil. It'll look lovely, but warn the client it will go grey in a year or two. (it's anything from yellow to brown btw - mostly both). If it's rough sawn though, don't bother.

Also, if you're machining it at all, try not to let it burn. Some people (me), react very badly to the smoke - I cough me guts up. It's like tear gas for the lungs.

 

[mike os]

also if machining or sanding wear particulate mask, dust is carcogenic

no treatment needed if it is not buried or immersed IIRC

 

[brightspark]

a coat of boiled linseed oil stops it going black and dirty every year just rub it down with wire wool and re coat

 

[the artfull-codger]

It was used extensively for lab benches in schools, we also used it for window frames & door frames, we allways oiled it with teak oil for protection, it darkens with age,as for it rotting by protecting it, well that's news to me,we ALLWAYS oiled it for durability, I machine it regularly but wear a mask as it's carcinagenic, it's difficult to get a good finish as it has a curly/difficult grain & is really hard & tough on the tools,having said that it's a durable nice looking wood.

slan go fol

 

[chunkolini]

I have heard horror stories about the dust and smoke from this stuff.
Years back I made myself a lovely kite handle out of it, spent hours sanding it, finishing up with 240 grit paper. Thought it was just sawdust. Ho Hum.
I sem tot remember it gives good splinters as well.
Chunko'.

 

[Hitch]

I built made a stair ballustrade from it years, all stained and colour matched to the existing stair case.
Pretty easy to work with. Not that cheap though, about 40 notes per cubic foot.

We made a shed load of cladding frames a couple of years ago that were planked out with cedar. Looked nice when new. Think that was for Birmingham Hospital carpark.

 

[the artfull-codger]

It must be softer down south hitch, as up north here I've worked with it for years & have allways found it to be a difficult wood to machine & finish, incidently ''D A T A '' have issued safety warnings to schools as there's loads of labs being re-furbished around the country & obviously d&t departments see it as a golden oppourtunity to obtain free hardwood.

slan go fol

 

[Hitch]

Was a fair while ago, perhaps I have forgotten. Machined up the hand rail section with a 1/4" router and circular saw mounted in a bench.

It's pretty easy to work with compared to the likes of PauRosa.

 

[Welderpaul]

We are matching up with some other timber that has been there a while which i'm told is iroko. Just looks like wood to me. It will be rough sawn so no planing. Just chop them to length and drill/countersink two holes each end.
Probably stack cut it in the bandsaw...

 

[mike os]

wear a mask when machining... dust is "peppery" & not very pleasant, gives some people nose bleeds.

only really a pain to hand plane, machines OK, not used any for years... not since I last did out a lab in fact.

 

[Hitch]

Noooo noooo noooo. Thats Mr Muddles favorite trick. The wood fibres get in the coolant and clog the pump up.

 

[Welderpaul]

Noooo noooo noooo. Thats Mr Muddles favorite trick. The wood fibres get in the coolant and clog the pump up.

I'm only joking

 

[madkayaker]

we cut timber on the bandsaw at work all the time! but we don't use coolent as were mainly cutting brass etc

 

[TechnicAl]

isnt Iroko another name for Teak?

Its certainly very hard....in my opinion its excellent to work with...no splinters etc

 

[KemppiFrog]

I use Iroko for boatbuilding. Second all the safety stuff, the dust is nasty. Tends to blunt the tools as well.
It is not teak, quite different (and lots cheaper)
All tropical hardwoods are a health hazard in varing degrees. Woodworkers suffer the highest throat cancer rates, so take care.
KF

 

[Seano]

I made my lead loading paddles from it 20yrs ago... still going strong, but as already stated... like lead if machining it take precautions....very bad for the old bronchials....

 

[bigtip]

teak is from south america and south east asia whereas iroko is african although similar IIRC.