Reply by Lumber2Sawdust

I built a large deck with ipe last year. You are right, it is heavy and hard.

Don’t waste your time with HSS. Carbide is the only way to go. Still, it won’t last that long.

If you are just going to reinstall it for outdoor use, your best bet is to use the pressure washer on it. I haven’t done that to mine yet, but after working with it I can’t imagine any other way. I had to cut out holes for downspouts on my deck. I used a sawsall with blades for cutting steel. The worked pretty well, but I couldn’t cut more than about 3 holes before that blade would be shot.

I did us a router with carbide bits for a few small things and it routed well, too if that helps you.

I know I’ve read that some folks build furniture, etc with ipe here on LJ. Maybe Rich Greer? I wondered how they do it while I was working on my deck. Maybe they will chime in and give more info for you.