Hard, stable, not too expensive wood?

What is a hard, stable, not too expensive wood that would be easy to work, and take well to an ebonizing stain?

I've got some hard maple. Would that work?

Reply to
David Ford
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It worked for me.

todd

Reply to
Todd Fatheree

Poorly, especially as you used the word "stain." It'll take a dye reasonably well, but why not go with something more porous like birch?

Reply to
George

"Hard" and "easy to work" - pick one.

"Hard", "stable", "not too expensive" - pick any two.

:-)

It's really hard. It's reasonably stable. It's not too cheap. It's not that easy to work (unless you're talking about a lathe - it turns well). It takes stain poorly; dye is a better choice.

Depending on just how hard you need the wood to be, soft maple might be suitable. What will this be used for?

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

I meant dye. Sorry.

I've got some olive wood I want to build a cajun accordion with. However the wood was not bookmatched when cut. Someone is advising me to slice the olive wood and then glue it to a darker, stable substrate. The "darker" qualification is for some aesthetic contrast, but a dye could work.

I have some hard maple, quartersawn, already.

Is there something better.

Reply to
David Ford

I think that'll do. Doesn't sound like workability is going to be too much of a concern: you'll not be doing much besides cutting and drilling, will you?

Consider using black walnut. It should be plenty hard for this application; it's already dark; it's fairly easy to work; and it's *extremely* stable. Main drawback is price.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Reply to
Doug Miller

Hard maple is wonderfully hard and stable. Isn't known to take stain well. A few trials trying to stain soft maple left me with a greater appreciation for its natural beauty...

Reply to
Hax Planks

Reply to
Phisherman

Hard maple is my personal favorite. I haven't tried ebonizing it, because I like the grain an awful lot, but it is hard, stable and not terribly expensive. It also polishes to a beautiful glass-like finish if you're patient. If the ebonizing stain doesn't work for you, India ink works really well also. Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Reply to
Prometheus

You could just use oak or ash, and save the maple. I know ash takes dye really well (Though it may not be as hard as you like, you'll have to figure that out for yourself) Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Reply to
Prometheus

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