# Stabilized Wood????



## Band Saw Box (Sep 30, 2013)

I seen a good number of post talking about stabilized wood and I would like to know what it is. Before coming to this site I have never heard about this. Thanks


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## Waluy (Sep 30, 2013)

Essentially it is wood that is vacuum impregnated with resin and possibly dyes. It makes the wood less likely to fall apart when worked.


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## SteveG (Sep 30, 2013)

The process completely permeates the wood with the resin, not only making it more stable for working, but also in terms of moisture absorption (almost completely impermeable to moisture). Many beautiful burls, spalted items and very soft woods which could not be used in the past are now available for use due to stabilization. Good Stuff!
Steve


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## Band Saw Box (Oct 1, 2013)

Thanks for the information, sounds like some nice stuff to work with. I'm going to see it woodcraft carries so I can see some first hand.


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## edstreet (Oct 1, 2013)

Waluy said:


> ...vacuum impregnated...



Uhm sorry but wrong! Only the shade tree group does this to a very small limited subset of materials.  The proper way is to use around 4,000 pounds of pressure.

Wood Stabilizing Specialists, Int'l., LLC | Info, Hints, & Tips!



Your real answer is this.


> ...Two-part process requires applying acrylic resins to a handle material followed by a curing period. The result is a water-resistant, harder-than-untreated wood that can be machined and drilled, and that can be polished to any finish you'd put on steel, from satin to a high gloss...


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## Yegg (Oct 1, 2013)

Is there an advantage to simply do it to every (with the exception of trash wood blanks) pen blank?  Would that be a detriment?  

Elliott


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## MesquiteMan (Oct 1, 2013)

edstreet said:


> Waluy said:
> 
> 
> > ...vacuum impregnated...
> ...



Hmm...not going to get into this here but there are a lot more than just "shade tree groups" using vacuum.  I will put my stabilized blanks up against anything anyone else has done.  Yes, adding high pressure does indeed help on some material but I would not say, from 10 years of stabilizing experience, that pressure is the only proper way.


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## edstreet (Oct 1, 2013)

MesquiteMan said:


> Hmm...not going to get into this here but there are a lot more than just "shade tree groups" using vacuum.  I will put my stabilized blanks up against anything anyone else has done.  Yes, adding high pressure does indeed help on some material but I would not say, from 10 years of stabilizing experience, that pressure is the only proper way.



I did not intend to even remotely go there.  What I was trying to bring up is there is more than one method to do the job and it's not just for wood as everyone has indicated.

The 'what is' quote that I posted seems to sum it up fairly good for any material and using any method and not be use selective words like 'wood'.

Also fact remands that every process is subjected to limits.  Limits that impose restrictions or less than max results, or less than desirable results.  i.e. some types of wood would do better in method A vs method B.

In closing wood, bone, antler, horn, composite material, many man made materials, plant matter, gemstone, rocks and the list goes on and on of materials that can be stabilized.  Wood may be the most commonly used item but it is not the only nor should you only limit yourself to one type.


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## MesquiteMan (Oct 1, 2013)

I am glad you clarified.  I guess the part I had issue with was the "shade tree" comment.  There are a lot more than just "shade tree" folks doing it with just vacuum.  You mention that the "proper way" is to use pressure.  In your last post, you mention that there every process has limitations.  I agree with that.  One is not necessarily better than the other.  And yes, I have done bone, antler, all different kinds of wood, gems, quartz, stone, slag, and even MDF!


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## Waluy (Oct 2, 2013)

edstreet said:


> Waluy said:
> 
> 
> > ...vacuum impregnated...
> ...



I apologize I was merely trying to state it in simplest terms I could think of. The OP asked specifically about wood and most the wood blanks I have seen for sale have been done using vacuum. I personally have never seen anything labeled as Pressure impregnated and don't tend to differentiate between the two when giving basic explanations since vacuum and pressurized are just inverses of each other. 

Perhaps I should have just left out the word vacuum. :wink:


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## Waluy (Oct 2, 2013)

Yegg said:


> Is there an advantage to simply do it to every (with the exception of trash wood blanks) pen blank?  Would that be a detriment?
> 
> Elliott



In my opinion that depends on how you define detriment. Since I prefer the feel of wood I wouldn't want all of my blanks stabilized. To me stabilized wood feels much more like acrylic and as such losses the "warmth" of being made from wood.


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## alparent (Oct 2, 2013)

You can also "kinda" stabelise your wood with thin CA.
When I have fragile wood (box elder burl for example will soak CA like a sponge)
I flood it with thin CA.
I will re-flood it 2 or 3 times during the turning process.

So It's "kinda" poor-man stabelising. (Or if I calculated the cost of the CA I'm using ..... might be rich-man stabelising?)


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