Drying Ebony??

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Cushing H.

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I have searched the forum ... and did not quite find an answer for this - so here goes: I was at Woodcraft yesterday, and picked up a couple pieces of Ebony (1"x 1" x 8", waxed) that I hope to use as a component of Wa handles. I also picked up a block (larger, something like 3" x 6" x 6", waxed) of Verawood - both so inexpensive I could not resist the temptation. So, I thought I would build a small drying box and try my hand at drying and using these woods. One posting (another forum) said that Ebony will check, period, if the wax is removed. Most others say to remove the wax, except for the end grain, and allow to dry. so, am I destined for failure if I remove the wax (except said end grain) and drop these two pieces into a drying box - or might it work. If it does work, how long does said drying process typically take? (I know it is size dependent - I am considering taking that larger block of Verawood, cutting it down to smaller slabs then re-coating with wax)
 
Do you have a moisturizer meter to check the current moisture level? If the store is in your area, and they’ve had it a while, chances are it’s going to be dry already.

I’d remove the wax on the sides, but not on the end grain. Wood tends to spilt/check from the end, and loose the majority of its moisture from there too.
Think of a tree like a giant bundle of straws, water goes easily through the length but not so much side to side.
 
Cushing H. said:
I have searched the forum ... and did not quite find an answer for this - so here goes: I was at Woodcraft yesterday, and picked up a couple pieces of Ebony (1"x 1" x 8", waxed) that I hope to use as a component of Wa handles. I also picked up a block (larger, something like 3" x 6" x 6", waxed) of Verawood - both so inexpensive I could not resist the temptation. So, I thought I would build a small drying box and try my hand at drying and using these woods. One posting (another forum) said that Ebony will check, period, if the wax is removed. Most others say to remove the wax, except for the end grain, and allow to dry. so, am I destined for failure if I remove the wax (except said end grain) and drop these two pieces into a drying box - or might it work. If it does work, how long does said drying process typically take? (I know it is size dependent - I am considering taking that larger block of Verawood, cutting it down to smaller slabs then re-coating with wax)
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Three years is not uncommon to dry if just left as is. You can dry in a matter of weeks in a kiln, but you will probably end up with checks and splits. These woods are sold quite wet for turners. They cut better this way, then the pieces are oiled, and dry very slowly. (Don’t quote me on that, I’m not a wood turner. Just going by the little bit I’ve read on the subject. Might be totally wrong.)
Totally different process compared to what we do.
 
Scrap the wax off just the long sides and leave the end grain, then place in your drying box and move the box to a dry area of your house. Ebony is bad about cracking even after it’s dry it can heat check if you don’t use sharp abrasives. Typically you dry wood for 1 year per inch of thickness, so I’d recommend putting them in the box write the date and forget them for a while. I normally buy raw blocks like that with the idea that I’ll use it in a few years. I worked at a wood craft store and know exactly where they got that ebony and I can say fairly confidently that it is not dry.
 
remove the wax and leave the ends alone (as others have said)...
then, personally, I would use some pure tung oil to slow the drying down even further, this should avoid checking & cracking

(don't use tung oil which has thinners or any volatiles in it)

post some pics later when you get around to it ; )
 
I just got fed up with ebony cracking after drying and fitting onto a handle.... I ship all of mine out to K & G now for stabilization--problem solved!
 
Ebony is a real heartbreaker because of its cracking and checking issues. I switched to African Blackwood a long time ago for most projects that called for ebony. I scrape the sides and sit ebony on the shelf for years before use.

Good luck with the drying box, as ebony does not like anything that rushes drying.

Also, you have to sand it with fresh and slow speed belts. If you don't have a VS belt grinder, use files to shape ebony and hand sand only.
 
I did not appreciate that ebony is so touchy - thanks for all the input. I will have to try the african blackwood - though it sounds like it is extremely hard.

Will still need to try my hand at drying though - i actually had dreams much of last night about the best/cheapest way to build a drying box. I am a chemical engineer ... and so was also dreaming about time/moisture profiles and slab thickness relationships. Go figure . Im thinking about that block of verawood ... and whether i could cut it in to thinner slabs (for faster drying) and likely re-coat with wax (on appropriate sides) before placing into that drying box. They also had slabs of Bubinga at a similar low price i wonder about applying the same treatment to
 
Thinner slabs warp easily in drying. Stay with normal size pieces. I buy 1.5" thick stock.

My take on using any accelerated drying on a wood like ebony or snakewood is it will likely make things go bad faster. Just like good lovemaking, there is no reason to speed it up and the longer it takes the more pleasing the results.

Snakewood will crack and check if you stare at it hard.

African blackwood is easy to work. Use fresh belts, go slow,don't get it hot, clean the belt with a rubber cleaner block as it loads up. I usually go 80 grit, 220 grit, 400 grit and then buff with pink polish.

It makes a handle that resembled Macassar ebony. Some is nearly as black as Gabon ebony.
 
Thank you for the heads up on thicknesses for drying. The verawood chunk (see photo) I got has the grain running in the wrong direction for cutting in to handle scales ... but I have my eye on it for sections of a multi-section Wa handle. I should be able to get at least two 1.5" slabs, and one 1.25" slab. It was inexpensive enough for me to be tempted to at least take a stab at drying it, but not expensive enough to cry over (btw - I have my eye on the African Blackwood as decorative spacers in the same Wa handles). That same "grab box" of tropical woods also had some larger blocks of Bubinga (and others ... I do not really know my exotic woods at all) ... I need to go back better armed to identify the wood, and also to check the grain direction closely. The ebony, per all recommendations, will go on a shelf somewhere. Dont know if I will ever use it ... but you never know. :-)IMG_0522b.jpg
 
Gaboon ebony is a bear, one I dont really deal with importing any more.

I keep a stash in the back of jet black gaboon from a guy who died in the 60's, because trying to dry it is just a pain. Basically, everyone has given good advice. Waxed ends, keep it away from a breeze and for the love of all that is holy dont leave it in direct sunlight.

As for other ideas, african blackwood is an excellent wood. Its not a an ebony, but rather a rosewood and therefor has MUCH better working and stability characteristics.

Other ebonies also work, Makassar/ Macassar ebony is a rather catch all term for a lot of south east asian ebonies, basically its used to separate African ebony from asian ebony. In truth there are 3-5 commonly harvested ebony species in Africa and 10-20 from south east asia, and in common parlance Gaboon vs makassar is how people end of describing them.

"True" makassar ebony is Diospyros celebica, which often has a beautiful varigated pattern with dark browns, blacks and even a hint of green in its color. When I buy it from S.E asia its often called Amara ebony.

Malyasian blackwood is another ebony, Diospyros ebonasea which has a little higher density and in my opinion a more interesting grain.

I honestly think that gaboon ebony has given ebonies a bit of a bad name, as the whole varaiety of "Makassar" ebonies are quite stable, very durable and excellent woods, but people keep chasing jet black and having expereneices with gaboon ebony that cracks.

Sorry about the ebony rant, and for your final fun facts, the scientfic name of the ebony genus, Diospyros means food of the gods, as all the ebony trees produce rather tasty fruits, and Persimmon is actually a true ebony! Diospyros virginiana!
 
Yum (persimmon! ). Thanks for the insights. NOW i guess i need to go back and find out just what “kind” of ebony i actually picked up!
 
Greenberg Woods said:
If you have some photos theres a good chance I can ID it for you
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Thanks! At the price i think i will go back and seek blocks of sufficient size and grain orientation that will allow me to saw to 1.5 inch slabs to dry. Knd of a grab-bag approach.

Btw, i caught an old thread where you said you were “heading back to school”. Is your degree in forestry perhaps?
 
This thread is very interesting and came up at a good time for me, i just bought some brazilian ebony from wood craft last week. I didnt even know it needed to dry first. I already cut into the block and used it on a small kiridashi. The brazilian ebony I bought is not dark at all, has a brown look, light brown in spots. Very oily though, and will polish nicely. Its been a few days since i shaped the handle and i can already feel the pins protruding from the wood shrinking. Oh well. Im certainly going to let the rest dry first.
 
Good to hear. I have some mental plans for a smallish drying box (something like $30). Want me to post pics of the build as i go? Per others comments though - ebony will NOT go in it. Funny though, as that is what started my question
 
A drying box is nothing more than a good size wood or metal cabinet with a 75 watt incandescent light bulb in the bottom. Put four to six 1/2" holes in the top ... that's it. An old storage cabinet around 24" wide, 72" tall and 12" deep is perfect. Either drill lots of holes in all the shelving, or change them to wire shelving (the closet stuff works fine). Stack the wood on the shelves with space between them and close the doors. Put a sheet of paper on the door and log what went in and when it should be checked. Opening and closing the doors isn't a problem, but should be done only when needed.

Along with this, get a wood moisture meter that reads in the lower range of 3 to 15%. Put a temperature readout on the door if you want, but the setup given needs nothing to control it.

Use a white marker to label or number the wood. You think you will remember what it was ....but you won't.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
A drying box is nothing more than a good size wood or metal cabinet with a 75 watt incandescent light bulb in the bottom.
Click to expand...
Yeah - I dont happen to have any cabinet of that description lying around :(. I was thinking in terms of 2' x 4' MDF for the sides, 2' x 2' top and bottom, and 1x2 stock on the vertical corners ... all held together by self drilling screws. all available at home depot, cheap, quick to assemble, and mostly pre-cut (I still do not have a power saw) :). Oh ... racks made from cheap cookie cooling racks from Target.... Definitely need to get the moisture meter.

(Boye's book gives the fundamentals, and construction basics was given in a number of old threads. definitely nothing difficult or magical about the box. like you said though, keeping track of what is in it is another story. ??do I sense a little bit of speaking from experience cropping up there??? :):):))
 
3 or 4 years ago my wife got me some black and white ebony from woodcraft. Cool looking block, about 1.5” or 2” square (can’t remember) and several inches long. I scraped the wax off everything but the ends and put it in my wood cabinet (an old fridge in the garage that quit working...). That block ended up developing a bit of a propeller twist and one decent crack in the middle of one long side. I filled the crack with some CA and left it be. I still have plans for it, but I know it will include squaring it up and then making my cuts from there. Really glad I didn’t cut it down any further than the size it came.

Jeremy
 
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