: Hi every one, once again I return to this forum for sage advice. I
: just purchased a beautiful 1x8x12' of African Sapele I cut my
: strips
: OK but when I routed the cove there was lots of tear out no mater
: what I did. so I slowed the feed ,no better,checked grain
: direction
: still no go I was so frustrated I even made two small passes,still
: got tear out!!! so what is my problem, I guess you can say I'm
: destroying good wood by the ton. Nick R

Sapele is very difficult wood to work with because of this very thing. It's also called "ribbon mahogany" because it has the appearance of stripes/ribbons, which are caused by grain reversals that run all the way through every board. About all you can do is use a really sharp bit and take multiple tiny cuts. You've got to be careful and use feather boards because with wood this thin it can make a complete break and send projectiles flying pretty easily. Now- just remember once you get it all machined- you're going to face the thing when you're fairing the boat unless you give up a plane and use only sandpaper. And on that note- I have noticed that Sapele is much harder than WRC and I have had trouble with glass adhering to it when I sanded too fine. I don't know if I'd go finer than 120, but others may have opinions on this.

If you don't get frustrated and give up- it will be beautiful.

m