As consultant to an architect on a project at Gramercy Park North
desire is to replace faux Tudor wood plank installed in 1900's w/ new
wood. I was asked to confer on IPE (a Brazilian ironwood? we were
recently talking about ironwood on BP) vs. cedar. I am not familiar
with IPE but see that it is used quite a bit in hi-end deck jobs...
very hard wood, difficult to work, durable, requires carbide cutting
blades and carbide drill bits to pre-drill for fasteners. I suggested
cedar, at first Spanish Cedar as several woodworker friends have been
gassing on about it for a while now... but it seems not only used for
cigar humidors but for rebuilding of window sash, shutters, door
elements etc. and not so much as plank. So I called Mr. Rude (who was
preparing himself in NoLA to go eat crawfish) and he said he knew
nothing about IPE (not an American tree) and suggested Port Orford
Cedar as his preference for external work.
So, I have recommended to the architect that they spec Port Orford
Cedar.
My reasons are as follows:
1. the external restoration contractors that need to bid the project
ASAP have little carpentry expertise (this is not a complicated
carpentry project) and it is unlikely that they would get any in the
near future, they will not see a need for it, wood is wood
2. any potential subcontractors who would have experience w/ the IPE
would likely be hi-end deckers who DO NOT tend to work in the city, or
at height (off pipe scaffold) and though I did not mention it there may
be insurance issues as well
3. deck contractors tend to be most comfortable with a few tens of feet
of the ground but not a hundred
4. the restoration contractors tend to move in well defined parameters,
to introduce a difficult wood will get them bitching real early in the
project
5. pre-drilled for fasteners -- I can just see a mason mechanic going
at screws with a hammer. The IPE is heavier than the POC and I imagine
20 years frm now issues as to how well the heavy wood was fastened to
the facade.
6. I suspect the Port Orford Cedar will take a dark brown stain better
than the IPE
Comments and input highly appreciated. I have already made the
recommendation and sent on specifications so any response is primarily
for our mutual education.
Thnx,
][<
-- Orgrease-Crankbait
Video, audio, writings, words, spoken word, dialogs, graphic collage
and the
art of fiction in language and literature.