Consulting Woodworker

Everlasting Hardwoods, the “Outdoor Living” division of Overseas Hardwood Company, specializes in Ipe for decking and other outdoor uses. They import and mill Ipe for purchase as building material, and also produce their own line of patio and yard furniture for home use.

While OHC mills and imports a huge variety of wood species, Everlasting Hardwoods specializes in Ipe decking for it’s sustainability and excellent weathering characteristics. To insure sustainability, Everlasting Hardwoods sources only through reputable firms which must adhere to local, state and federal regulations as it relates to sustainable forest management set forth by International Tropical Timber Organization to meet OHC approved supplier status. (Click here to see their Environmental Statement)

Their outdoor furniture features dining tables and chairs as well as furniture for relaxing in, including a wonderful “steamer” lounge that brings back the feel of the old luxury liners.

Ipe, if you are not familiar, is a tropical hardwood who’s tall straight trunks make it ideal for high yield of long lengths. Ipe is technically known as Tabebuia of the family Bigoniaceae. It is known by a number of names including Brazilian Walnut, Greenheart and Lapacho Negro. It is a dense dark hardwood that tends to be a chocolate brown that can have a greenish tint. Much of the wood is a uniform color without distinctive grain patterns but can exhibit a pleasing pattern alternating between lighter and darker stripes.

I have had occasion to work with Ipe on many occasions. While decking is a typical application, I have milled many thousands of lineal feet for house siding as well. It is excellent for decks and docks too. It is a very dense and hard wood. It can be tough on tooling, but these properties make it an excellent material for jigs and fixtures. It wears well and is lightly oily so it is very well suited to guide bars and wear points. I often use it for miter gauge slides in my shop built jigs.

Next time you are sourcing material for an outdoor project, take a look at Ipe from Everlasting Hardwoods. It will serve your weathering needs well and you will feel good knowing that it is harvested responsibly by a responsible company.