I give in....this wood has beaten me. The surface checking is rampant, and once I started turning I could see that it's running throughout the piece, to a good 3cm deep all over. It is exceptionally hard and just about the only way that I can cut it is to take a fine shearing cut with the long edge of a long-grind bowl gouge, but the edge of the tool dulls immediately and needs resharpening after just 2 passes. Even my Simon Hope solid carbide cutters won't cope with it....they give a terrible finish and show signs of losing their edge after 4 or 5 passes.
Moisture content, measured about 3 cm in from the surface (after I'd cut a corner off) was 16%, so it's supposedly a good mc for working, yet it doesn't give shavings, just dust everywhere. When a fine cut can be made, the surface feels oily and looks shiny. Drilling with HSS twist drills just clogs the flutes up, instantly, and they need picking out after every couple of millimetres of drilling.
I wore a full-face air-fed mask while I was cutting it, but just the residual dust in the air of the workshop (despite the filter and dust extractor being on) caused sneezing, a sore throat and a dull head-ache.
It's the first time that a piece of wood has beaten me......but I know when to give up. My customer can have it back!
![](http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/lessymonds/1601/DSCN0034%20Medium_zpsryn1ygi2.jpg)
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Les