Rick Petry wrote:
Lyle,

Ok, I think I've got it. Definitely a heavy rotary machine, at a 175 RPM speed. I would guess that the low RPM's would both help in preventing "burninshing" the wood and make control a bit easier. And the 60/80 grit brush can be used for both defurring and a harder "sanding".

If the weight does not hurt redwood, it certainly should not be a problem with western red cedar or especially yellow pine.

If I recall correctly, Jim sometimes uses a "middle" pad, which gives the working brush some more flex when working on uneven deck floors.

Thanks.

You may have that middle padding method via my postings elsewhere. Can just use any old basic nylon floor pad as a backup when using screen when you want some give or to help prevent screen from ripping apart or if you have no sanding driver block. Have ran these rotary machines now for over 25 years and I've yet to have need for the actual sanding driver to run the paper or screen.

PressurePros wrote:
When we sand ipe with a square buff its with the roughest grit available, which I think is 16. Its like a bunch of rocks glued onto paper. Even then its a slow walk, double pass for every triple set of boards.

Wow Fenner..Sanding ipe sounds tuff! Is not something I've had to do yet since strip and defur has always been swell enough prep on all the ones I ran into so far. Have you not compared the low speed swing machine to square sanders? If not I recommend doing so regardless of working with ipe or not. Have sited the differences elsewhere on ocassion as being huge due to the big swathy rotary cut being far supperior and faster than them vibrataing orbital thingies. No matter if using paper, pads, screen, or brush the rotary swing machine is like at least twice as fast. On some surfaces like dimpled urethane they are actgualy about the only solution to use besides going with a full on drum sanding procedure. Seriously try a bulky 20" and you'll be in heaven.

Diamond jim wrote:
Chaz, I thought I saw in another photo you had a bunch of floor machines and your using the hand held in the above. There is no going back to hand held once you use a floor machine !!!! unless, its touch ups , boarders, stairs........ect

Hey Jim.. You probably know I use a variety of standup technique like my velvet Elvis/stratagrit, sandscreen, and 3M Hi-pro padding. I have not taken liberty to use them all on IPE though and am wondering what you've experienced with various method. My last IPE I used like 3k psi at a fair distance leaving but only the slightest touch of fur I then followed that up with 80 grit impregnated strata type brush. Trying to surface these exotics are like trying to surface a piece of steeel near abouts. I only produced an ever so slight amount of fur powder compared to my redwood defurring jobs. The stuff turns out like finished interior wood with standup and can hardly imagine trying to use handheld machinery on one. This last ipe I refurring to (approx. 560sq. ft.) took 2 hour to wash and 2 hour to defurr and stain only and have been easy stuff for me with proper strip chems and machinery.

Alan Broom wrote:
Take a living, breathing organism and kill it. Then cut it into small pcs. Put those pcs out in the weather for few months. Then expect nothing to change.
Ahh... looks like another case for my theory on the process of mummifieing/dyeing this wood. IPE has always been the number one candidate for the process. Heck half the time it already looks dyed after stripping and adding stuff to it is just aesthetics anyway.
That said, what Rick said about it cracking and cupping does hold true on some jobs I seen and but am unsure, what with lack of heavy experience, that a natural oil addition to it will tend to slow or even out the drying process such that the structural changes of cracking and warping will not occur. My last one was heavy coated with acrylic before I ever touched it and so since I wasn't the one taking care of it from day one I can't really claim anything about it on how well it may or may not have aged if fed pure oil the whole time. I did notice one of it's boards cut at a long sharp angle having a slight upturn warp. The board was on outer edge running lengthwise and the deck design called for a taper there. I think decks in general should always be designed such that cuts are near 90 degree no matter the wood type.

Abit late now for ya but my AC contest pics here on this site and a pic on the AC site are of Sierra Redwood...I too have just recently had to go back to a job for a touch up. Even though I been brushing decks lately I guess my help crew that day went abit thin.