bubinga - a different question

[agent511]

I asked this question on project-related questions and got no answer. Perhaps it belongs in this newbie section, so I am trying again. I am practicing with finishes on the bubinga. As previously mentioned, this is my first stab at anything.

There is shiny hard closed grain. ANd between this is streaks and ripples of softer, rougher open grain. I don't know the technical terms for this. I hope you can picture this.

I bought the wood S2S, and it was run quickly through a planer.

I have tried sanding with a palm sander, 150 grit, but it doesn't get into the shallower soft grain. I am working on it with hand sanding, using my fingers, with 220 grit, and making slow headway.

What is the normal way to approach this?

1. Sand it for the next two months?
2. Leave the grain the way it is?
3. Fill it in with some kind of grain filler?
4. Invest in a 13" planer, and run it slowly at high speed?

If the planer will make it uniformly smooth, then it is worth it to me to save the days and days of sanding I forsee.

Thanks for all your help. I hope I don't get old fast with all my questions.

I wanted to enclose a digital picture, but it says 'HTML is off' and the upload links are not present, and I can't figure how to change these settings.

[Mainemarc]

Hi Agent511:

In my opinion, you should go for option 3. You have an open, porous wood, not unlike oak or ash. Grain filler is the traditional way to acheive an smooth, consistent surface with woods like these.

The trick is getting a grain filler that is a good color match for your bubinga. Some of the speciality woodworking stores like Rockler and Woodcraft have a good selection of colors (and display samples) for you to look at. That doesn't help if you don't have a store like that nearby. Another route is to take a close color match and fine tune it with a dye. Although as you can imagine, that takes a certain amount of experience and a deft eye for color and tone.

Finally, there's a technique involving creating a sanding slurry using an oil, like boiled linseed or tung oil. By sanding the surface wet with oil, the wood dust forms a slurry that fills up those grain pores. I haven't tried this technique (at least not intentionally), but it might be your best bet.

Hope this helps.

[LarryG]

I saw your original query in Project Related Discussions (which probably was the proper section for it, I should think) but since I've never worked with bubinga I didn't attempt to answer. And now two days later I still haven't worked with bubinga, but FWIW:

I'm not clear on what you're trying to accomplish. If you want the grain and color to be as consistent as possible, then a filler is likely your best bet.

If however you're just finding the harder sections of the wood tough to sand, and are looking for a uniformly smooth surface but don't mind the variations in color and grain (which IMO is a big part of the appeal of exotic woods, or any wood for that matter), then ... have you tried a card scraper? These will actually produce a smoother surface than a thickness planer, and a heck of lot cheaper too.

[agent511]

Thanks guys. There is a woodworker shop nearby (where I got the wood) that probably has this filler that Mark mentioned.

I have a scraper, but have not gotten the hang of it yet. I see on DIY tools and techniques that you have to create an edge on it with a burnisher in order to use it effectively, and I haven't gotten around to , or seen, a burnishing tool yet.

[LarryG]

Scrapers do take some practice, fershure. I can't lay claim to being an expert -- yet -- but I'm getting there, and have already figured out why people say scrapers may be the most under-appreciated tools in the shop.

Burnishers are available from all the usual suspects: Woodcraft, Lee Valley, Highland Hardware, etc etc etc. Around $20 for a good one (mine is a Pfeil, made in Switzlerland). In a pinch you can use a round screwdriver or the stem of a valve from a car engine, but these are not really hardened enough and won't hold up very long.

Speaking of DIY Tools And Techniques, isn't that just about the most aggravating show on the air? I realize there is an endless variety of tools and thousands of little tricks, so they have a lot of ground they can cover, but a lot of this stuff involves details and subtleties that are really critical ... and yet they rush through them like the show's studio is on fire. They make the effort to bring in respected tool experts like Rob Cosman and Sandor Nagyszalanczy, and then give them about three-and-a-half minutes of on-camera time. Arghh! I used to tape the show every day but gave up out of sheer frustration.

[agent511]

Yes it is like an intro course, which is fine for me for now. They could have another program for intermediates and experts to enjoy.