Hello:
I am developing a product where the use of semi-exotic hardwood
(wenge, etc.) would make it far more appealing to the eye than if I
used aluminum or delrin. How dimensionally stable will the heavy
hardwoods be once cut to final size/shape? Is dimensional shift even
an issue? Are there other aspects I should be considering?
I apologize for the newbie questions in advance.
Please post reply to group.
mech_robot
Depends on function. If the wood plays a fuctional role in the use of
the tool it(the tool) has to be designed to accept its idiosyncrasies.
If it's decoration, you can get away with a lot.
An example: At the http://www.patwarner.com/setup_square.html link.
____________________________________
>
> Are there other aspects I should be considering?
>
>
>
> Thank you for the replies. This is exactly the type of information I needed.
>
> mech_robot
Andy has the right of it. However, the corollorary to Andy's statement is
that if the wood has been conditioned to the environment in which it will
live, and that environment is stable (eg a temperature and
humidity-conrolled office), then the wood will be dimensionally stable.
Cheers
Frank
"Andrew Barss" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> i-robot <[email protected]> wrote:
> : Hello:
>
> : I am developing a product where the use of semi-exotic hardwood
> : (wenge, etc.) would make it far more appealing to the eye than if I
> : used aluminum or delrin. How dimensionally stable will the heavy
> : hardwoods be once cut to final size/shape? Is dimensional shift even
> : an issue? Are there other aspects I should be considering?
>
>
> Depends on the species. Mesquite is extremely stable, ebony is very
> unstable (in terms of dimensional change with humidity). Try getting a
> copy of Hoadley's book, which is the classic on these issues:
>
>
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0918804051/qid=1084830154/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-5658267-7419942?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
>
>
> -- Andy Barss
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[email protected] (i-robot) wrote in message
Are there other aspects I should be considering?
Thank you for the replies. This is exactly the type of information I needed.
mech_robot
i-robot <[email protected]> wrote:
: Hello:
: I am developing a product where the use of semi-exotic hardwood
: (wenge, etc.) would make it far more appealing to the eye than if I
: used aluminum or delrin. How dimensionally stable will the heavy
: hardwoods be once cut to final size/shape? Is dimensional shift even
: an issue? Are there other aspects I should be considering?
Depends on the species. Mesquite is extremely stable, ebony is very
unstable (in terms of dimensional change with humidity). Try getting a
copy of Hoadley's book, which is the classic on these issues:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0918804051/qid=1084830154/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-5658267-7419942?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
-- Andy Barss