Norminn wrote:
Crabshell wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote in
s.com:


On 4/8/2008 4:31 PM Crabshell spake thus:


Can anyone tell me if a professional woodworking shop can rip a piece
of wood measuring 9" x 2" x 8' down to a 9" x .75" x 8'? Does this
type of rip have a unique name?
I think what you're describing is usually called "resawing", and is
typically done on a bandsaw. However, that's quite a thin slice you're
asking for there, kind of the equivalent of using a big-ass cheese
slicer on a 2" board. Very difficult to get a good cut. (It would
probably need to be run through a planer after resawing.) What are you
using this for? I assume it's not cheap pine and that you can't (or
don't want to) run down to the lumber yard and get an 8-foot 1x10.




It's Ipe wood and it's for a decorative plaque. The finished plaque
needs to measure 8.5"h x 17"w x 1/2"d (my original post said 3/4").
The only Ipe I have found online that accomodates those dimensions is
9"h x 2"d, which is way too thick. The finish has to be pristine
being that it's decorative.

I got curious because this thread has gone so long and, never having
heard of "ipe wood", I did a little
googling. Ipe is not just a piece of wood, apparently. It is
exceedingly hard and also difficult to finish.
If you do a Google search on ' ipe wood "custom milling" ' you will
probably find what I found. Just
for the sake of getting experienced wooddworkers, I'll post to
rec.woodworking.

I had some oak custom cut and routed edges once, for a bargain price.
The jobber told me afterward
that he burned up several router bits, and would have charged me more
had he known how tough it
would be. He did fine work, and stuck to the price he quoted me.

I have had success resawing 1x4 IPE to 1/2" nominal using a Delta 14"
band saw with a 1/2" 3 tpi Timberwolf blade. IPE is indeed hard but it
is consistent throughout its width. I ran it through a jointer and a
planer to achieve the proper thickness. I have also eased the edges
with a router. In short, no major problems.
mahalo,
jo4hn