I'm working on a special project with my wife—an ebony and maple chessboard for her father's birthday, and we're really enjoying the ebony wood. However, I've come across a concern: when sanding ebony alongside lighter woods like maple, the ebony dust seems to seep into the pores of the maple. I even did a test where I wiped a finish on a scrap piece of ebony and then used the same rag on the maple, leading to some noticeable color transfer.
My question is, how can I prevent this ebony dust from contaminating the maple during the sanding process? Once I plane down the pieces past any roughness, will this reduce the problem? Also, I'm planning to use a wipe-on high gloss polyurethane finish—will I still face issues with color transfer? Any strategies or tips to avoid these issues would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
You could try using painters tape to cover the maple squares while working on the ebony. It might be a bit of a hassle, but it’ll definitely keep the dust at bay!
I've got some experience with working on projects like this. When I made a chessboard with dark walnut and light maple, I found that once everything was sanded properly, using a compressor to blow off the dust made a huge difference—it was really effective! Have you tried that with ebony? I think you’ll find it helpful if you do it right after sanding.
Good to hear the ebony is manageable for you! Having a helper to blow off the dust while you sand can definitely be a game changer.
As a cabinet shop owner, I totally get the issue you’re facing. I've seen exotic woods like ebony stain lighter woods, especially with sanding. You're right that sometimes it's unavoidable, but using a scraper instead of sandpaper can really minimize the problem. Plus, keep those air tools handy to blow debris away as much as possible.
That’s super helpful! I’ve noticed the same thing with padauk. The best tip I've gotten is using acetone to clean any stubborn dust off and it works great. Keep the dust collection efficient, and you'll be fine!
It's good to know I'm not the only one who’s faced this—it’s such a tricky balance working with these woods!
Yeah, just be careful; ebony is denser, and can rough up maple quicker when sanding, so keep an eye on that!