Artifical Wood? Anyone tried to carve Trexx

[FdxGuy]

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]

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]

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]

Heh! Self-realizations are an important part of human development. I think. No wait, it is. I think...

[revved_up]

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]

If someone does try it, please post the results.

[HandTurnedMaple]

I think we voted FdxGuy to try it. If it ruins his machine, he's got 3 others to replace it.

[Greybeard]

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]

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]

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.