Charles, I am just curious. Have you ever tried turning Mexican Ironwood? That stuff, I would think, would make a great tuning lever as it is very dense and strong (sinks in water). I have a piece here that I have been saving to make a lever with, but have never done so as I only have a small piece - roughly 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 15 inches. It is certainly well aged as I acquired the wood in 1969. The only thing that I know for sure about it is that it is really tough on steel tools. I have seen my piece take the edge off HS steel jointer blades in about 2 seconds ( OUCH ! ). The "natives" where it grows use tools made of stone to work it. I suppose that carbide would hold up to it, but you know the price of carbide turning tools. If you have any thoughts about this, please respond. John R. Fortiner pianoserv440@juno.com ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
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