Wenge

[davidcaskey]

I was wondering if any of you have experience with wenge? I was trying to turn a piece of this, having a sharp tool and using a moderate touch, I thought I was ok. Instead I started getting multiple catches as I tried to rough out the piece. I finally gave up when one of the catches picked the piece out of the chuck and threw it across the room. As I looked at the wood it seemed the grain was in sworlls and not straight.

 

[Sean Troy]

Are you turning end grain? hollow form or bowl?

 

[alamocdc]

Although harder, Wenge reminds me of Pine. There is a mix of dark and light grain and they each have different densities. This can make turning a bit of a challenge, but with sharp tools this can usually be overcome. If the grain is rather straight that is. The problem with a lot of figure in woods like this is that a softer area can grab the tool. As you witnessed, this grab can be a real eye opener and lead to unpleasant situations. The density difference is so profound at times that even sanding can be a challenge leaving you with what feels to be uneven grain across the turning. As a result of my experience with Wenge, I don't turn it much. But that's just me.

 

[Brodie Brickey]

For any wood...

the more swirly the grain, the more difficult it is to turn. Sure it looks beautiful when you're done but getting it done is INTERESTING!

 

[terry q]

I find Wenge to be very "chippy" when turned. I wet sand with CA when making pens from this wood to fill the pores.

 

[woodwish]

I bought some bottle stopper blanks out of wenge a while back, never touched them. After reading this thread I thought last night I would turn some just to see what the problem is. After messing with it for a while I reminded myself that I turn wood to relax and not for a frustrating challenge that raises my blood pressure. Will probably burn the semi-turned @$%&* peces in our fire pit tonight while enjoying a cold beer. I will toast a cold one to those that are successful with this stuff!

 

[Richard Baker]

When used as small pieces or thin layers in segmented work, wenge doesn't present the problems you experienced. However it does tend to be a bit harder to turn and sand than the adjacent pieces or layers. Can only suggest using a very light touch with a very sharp tool, and resharpen frequently.

 

[dkulze]

Very light touch, very sharp tool, very supported bevel. Figure on 2-3x as many cuts as with a more stable wood. Also figure on shear scraping it for the final cuts to deal with the swirl. If this isn't working, wax it up with paste wax between each cut. Time consuming but relatively effective as it lubricates the wood and reduces catches.

Worse comes to worst, send it to me and I'll see what I can do with it.

Good luck,
Dietrich