Hello there Ruth of the Green hills.
No more Trex in VT! Are you working on a ski lodge? Health spa for out of
staters? Flatlanders? Even in CT we have plenty of people with mills that
need work and do responsible harvesting of wood. White oak and cedar can be
harvested and milled for less than Trex. The General Store should have local
wood under foot! As for Ipe: like Mahogony and basically all woods, it
comes from different sources, areas and has varying characteristics based on
how and where it was grown. White oak grown on a rocky ridge is not like
white oak grown at the edge of a swamp, sorry, I mean wetland. (Not to
mention, there are probably over 400 species of oak.) When Ipe first came
out, we did a few decks with it. We sourced it from three different lumber
yards. Each had a different supplier. In general I lump Ipe with a whole
variety of hard South American woods, that have squirrely grain, are very
hard, and quite beautiful when kept oiled or maintained with a clear
protective coating. We have always pre-drilled when installing, and have
done face screws exposed, toe nailed with a clear surface and used a deck
fastener system so you get a surface with no penetrations. All the Ipe we
have used are hard some more than others, but in all cases you will go
through blades and be sharpening your chisels a lot. I am working on a
project where the architect has specified Ipe for the window louvers
(vertical and horizontal shading) and we were told it was considered a
sustainable source. I will ask. But Ruth, get them to go with the local
mill and the local woods, thereby sustaining local economy while practicing
good forestry.
Best,
Leland
PS Rudad, you know something of timbers, will you comment?
-----Original Message-----
From: The listserv where the buildings do the talking
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ruth Barton
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2010 10:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [BP] Ipe?
Hi Smart City Folk, Where does this Ipe wood come from? I never even
heard of it until it came on the horizon as a possible porch flooring
material at our soon to be constructed General Store. I figure you folks
probly know all about it. Unfortunately we can't afford it at any rate.
Architect is trying to stuff Trex down our throats, and we're not buying
it!!!! We have an offer of white oak from a local fella for the same price
as the Trex and I think we are going to take it. Just curious about Ipe
trees, as I've never come across them before. Thanks, Ruth
--
Ruth Barton
[log in to unmask]
Dummerston, VT
--
**Please remember to trim posts, as requested in the Terms of Service**
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed,
or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
--
**Please remember to trim posts, as requested in the Terms of Service**
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
|
