Birdhunter
Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2012
- Messages
- 4,145
I had to cut a bunch of mortises into Ipe end grain. In doing so, I learned a bit of Domino technique.
Ipe (Ironwood) is incredibly hard, especially the end grain. I found that feedrate is the key to getting the mortise cut into Ipe's end grain. Too fast and the Domino stops cold. I found that controlling the feedrate with my body as opposed to with my hands gave me better control. It's the same technique as using a hand plane or a cutting tool on a lathe.
I put the boards into a vise and braced the Domino against my hip. I leaned into the board pushing the Domino slowly into the wood. The first contact of the cutter against the wood is the most critical. It has to be a gentle initial contact. Also, any tilting movement of the Domino up or down stalls the machine cold.
Softer woods allow some sloppy technique. Super hard woods, like Ipe, demand perfect technique.
Ipe (Ironwood) is incredibly hard, especially the end grain. I found that feedrate is the key to getting the mortise cut into Ipe's end grain. Too fast and the Domino stops cold. I found that controlling the feedrate with my body as opposed to with my hands gave me better control. It's the same technique as using a hand plane or a cutting tool on a lathe.
I put the boards into a vise and braced the Domino against my hip. I leaned into the board pushing the Domino slowly into the wood. The first contact of the cutter against the wood is the most critical. It has to be a gentle initial contact. Also, any tilting movement of the Domino up or down stalls the machine cold.
Softer woods allow some sloppy technique. Super hard woods, like Ipe, demand perfect technique.