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View Full Version : Artifical Wood? Anyone tried to carve Trexx



FdxGuy
02-22-2007, 10:47 AM
I was at the home improvement center yesterday and walked past some of that plastic like deck building "wood" It comes in a couple colors and different sizes. It cuts like wood and it made me wonder....You know where I'm going.

Has anyone already tried carving that stuff? It's not exactly plastic and not exactly wood. I would think it might work well.

HandTurnedMaple
02-22-2007, 10:56 AM
What does it look like under the surface? It will probably carve alot like MDF, but I wonder what it will like without any graining. But I was wrong once before in my life. Wait no I wasn't, oh well guess I was wrong.

FdxGuy
02-22-2007, 11:13 AM
I was wondering the same thing, I've never cut any of it before. However, looking at the end "grain" of it, it does appear to be different inside and the material itself has color variation in it. Different brands seem to have different densities and textures as well.
I would think it might take some type of finish and even be sandable.

I guess there is only one way to find out. I'll give it a try as soon as you get done.
;-)

HandTurnedMaple
02-22-2007, 11:40 AM
Heh! Self-realizations are an important part of human development. I think. No wait, it is. I think...

revved_up
02-22-2007, 01:43 PM
I think you will end up with it melted on your bit. I have seen decks made out of the artificial decking, maybe not that brand but they had pock marks in them from the kids sparklers on 4th of July.

SpiffyDog
02-22-2007, 02:00 PM
If someone does try it, please post the results.:)

HandTurnedMaple
02-22-2007, 02:04 PM
I think we voted FdxGuy to try it. If it ruins his machine, he's got 3 others to replace it.

Greybeard
02-22-2007, 02:22 PM
This is sheer guesswork, but if Trexx is high density polyurethane foam I don't think you will find it very pleasant to carve with a router bit.
Carve it with a knife, yes, but the dust from hdpe sticks to everything - lots of static, and very difficult to clear up afterwards.
Been there and done it !

Not sure what it might do to your lungs........
John

HandTurnedMaple
02-22-2007, 02:47 PM
I can't find Trexx on the internet, but Home Depot describes their composite decking material as "a mixture of recycled wood fibers in a resin base." How CW will respond to a resin base I don't know.

HandTurnedMaple
02-22-2007, 02:52 PM
Found it as Trex. Their homepage describes it as "Trex decking and railing products are made from a unique combination of reclaimed wood and plastic, giving you the best qualities of both materials." The home page also says no toxic chemicals or preservatives. So blade cutting it is safe, but I don't know how it will react to high-speed spin cutting.

FdxGuy
02-22-2007, 03:04 PM
The Sears description of suitable materials says this:

The CompuCarve can work in most soft materials, including wood, plastics (polycarbonate or cast acrylic) and certain types of high density foam.

I was thinking since it does plexi, we might could do this plastic wood.

I will give it a try this weekend!

Sacrificing my lungs, shop, and machine for the good of the Brotherhood!

Greybeard
02-22-2007, 03:04 PM
"Grocery sacks and stretch film plus recycled wood fibre."
They also say that it itself is "fully recycleable", so this infers that it will be milled in order for it to be incorporated in future product.
If you can get hold of a piece of scrap, I would see how it reacts to heat like a soldering iron, before trying it on the cw.
If it bursts into flame - not good.
If you don't like the smell - ditto.
Try filing it with a coarse file or sandpaper or a hand saw and see how the dust behaves.

In the UK, Trex was a solid cooking fat...!!!

FdxGuy
02-22-2007, 04:04 PM
"In the UK, Trex was a solid cooking fat...!!!

Does carving solid cooking fat void the warranty?

Greybeard
02-22-2007, 04:25 PM
Well I certainly wouldn't want my chips cooked in fat that had been carved, so I doubt that the warranty on the fat would be worth the paper it had been wrapped in ... ; )

John

jonweis
02-22-2007, 04:27 PM
Just as a matter of information, I used a similar (non Trex) clone material for a deck I built. It machines quite well with both cross-cut and ripping via miter saw and table saw. I also used a 3/4" round over bit to ease all exposed edges and it routed just fine. It is considerably heavier than comparable wood products by probably half. The material I used had color all the way through but it will and does fade under sunlight from UV but seems impervious to weathering like a wood product would.

Hope this helps,
Jon

hss1
02-23-2007, 02:41 PM
I have not carved Trex, but I have used Crosstimbers which is basically the same thing only made by Elk. I carved great. I posted a picture of the results a few weeks back.

Henry

mobident
02-23-2007, 04:17 PM
Does carving solid cooking fat void the warranty?

Yes, but it does make the flexshaft run cooler

mobident
02-23-2007, 04:21 PM
I have not carved Trex, but I have used Crosstimbers which is basically the same thing only made by Elk. I carved great. I posted a picture of the results a few weeks back.

Henry

Hmm, all by animals without opposable thumbs.
Good picture of your thumb, though hss1

Digitalwoodshop
02-23-2007, 07:52 PM
I am ready to try a product called Correct Deck ( http://www.correctdeck.com/ ) that I picked up in 5 colors.

It is like TREX, but has a higher hard wood content then TREX.

I also picked up some white PVC trim boards to try too. I plan to V Carve them, so I am waiting on the bits.

AL

Ron Baird
02-23-2007, 10:09 PM
I have tried carving an artificial deck wood. It was 7.25" wide 1/2" thick. It carves clean but the dust tends to clog the letters as it appears to melt slightly from the heat of the router bit. It is very dense and takes alot of power to carve large grooves. The denseness and the fact that there is alot of resin and saw dust and who knows what else in it the carbide bits tend to dull very quickly. I don't recommend using it due to the short bit life.

dcurrysr
02-24-2007, 05:47 AM
How about carving a little piece using something like a Dremel Tool or a Roto Zip, and see how it does? At least you would not be messing up you machine.
Dave

SpiffyDog
02-24-2007, 06:58 AM
Thank you, Ron Baird! Do you have any pictures of the results?

zenstatez
02-25-2007, 07:21 PM
I'm also curious about the artificial wood... i work at a sign shop and we use a product called intecel pw which is basically a plastic wood also... it's a pvc foam board and i plan on trying it if my machine ever comes :( but it does machine well at our shop and i'm really hoping it works because i basically have complete access to scraps for home use so it would definately be worth the money ;)

Gman_Ind
02-26-2007, 07:40 PM
I am making Delrin gears on CNC mill at work. The bit must be sharp dull = heat and that makes a nasty cloggy stringy mess. it will melt and re-attach back to the part being cut. We use a composite fake wood to make full size prototype parts faster and cheaper than metal, I can't remember the name of it right now but it is a reddish color.

Digitalwoodshop
03-15-2007, 09:43 PM
I did some V90 Centerline text in white PVC board and it cuts like butter.

I did some Correct Deck that is like Trex and it V90 carved good. Have it in 5 colors.

Check out the Centerline work around that Greybeard posted in the big 5000 view Centerline Text post.

AL