Thread: timber booty

Originally Posted by Deano

Hey guys,
Previously posted in Stu's "raging fires build" I would like to continue this discussion on timbers to use and not to use as well as timber characteristics and tonal qualities. Like I said before I purchased this piece of Jarrah from Matthews Timber, and the piece of figured blackwood behind it.



What are your thoughts and experiences when working with this timber.

Deano

They're both spectacularly figured, especially the Blackwood in the back.
These are both examples of what you can find at your local yard when you get there at the right time and poke around in the right spots.
Mathews timber yet again.
Post another of the blackwood, but more detail of the figure, please.

I know a little of the story behind this one too ,Deano.
One of the guys had stashed this aside for himself and forgot about it.
He went on holidays for a week, and while away, the big boss had a mini cleanout of a few racks and found this at the back .
He looked at it and said ' yep, that's blackwood' and then threw it back in the typical blackwood racks which is where you found it.
He got back from holidays and was spewin'.
As told to me by Ian at Mathews Timber.

cheers, Stu

Very nice pieces there! I hope I can find some nice blackwood or Qld maple one day.

I have a couple of curly grained pieces of tassie oak, but they're only big enough for a mandolin. Does tassie oak like to be bent and can it be used for backs and sides of acoustic instruments? I know it's been used for solid bodies and necks fairly regularly.

Cheers
Archer

Firstly, fantastic looking sticks there Deano. Great pickup with those.

Regarding the discussion in Stu's (hijacked) thread here http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=58789&page=4

I agree, the best way to find out about something is to try it for yourself. Everyones opinions differ. I wasn't saying DON'T use jarrah because Perry reckons its no good, I was just saying that Perry reckons its no good, and like Ethereal said, he has a LOT of experience, so his advise is probably worth noting.

I'll be interested to see your jarrah build in progress mate, and definately interested to hear what it sounds like if you decide to venture into some samples for us all

i thought i should reply to this in this thread as it is a bit more relevant

Originally Posted by oz tradie

You're kidding right?

Qld maple is an excellent material for necks and bodies.
Maton uses it in necks as do many others. I've built two necks out of it.
I far prefer working with Qld maple than I do Qld walnut or Blackwood.
Why ? Easy to carve with minimal tearout and less silicates than the others.
(Silicates in timber blunten tools very quickly.)

It has it's own unique tonal properties, so you need to take all these things into consideration when choosing your timbers.

In saying Qld maple is too soft for necks, you're pretty much saying mahogany is too.
And Qld maple and US maple ? No correlation..whatsoever.

i know its good for necks, but im looking for woods that are hard enough for use as a fingerboard and neck in a single piece, like fenders 1pc neck designs where there is no separate fretboard and the truss rod is unsterted from the back and held in by a fillet strip. i know its a good wood for a warmer neck, just dont think its suitable for a fretboard. im looking to do something similar to the bass design i had in the other thread where the neck woods are also the fretboard woods. i think it adds another dimension to the fretboard without going crazy with inlays. i think i will end up using jarrah for part of it.

ive often thought about the ironbark hammered (again from the other thread) and have been thinking a about giving it a try for a neck laminate or something.

sorry about sparking the offtopc chat in the other thread oz tradie

Ive got a Scott Wise tele with a Tingle wood neck and a rosewood finger board. I've had it for 11 years and its still as straight as the day I got it.

but im looking for woods that are hard enough for use as a fingerboard and neck in a single piece

Maybe a rosewood one piece neck and frettboard, with a maple trussrod strip.
I'm planing a Tele like that.

Originally Posted by black_labb

i know its good for necks, but im looking for woods that are hard enough for use as a fingerboard and neck in a single piece, like fenders 1pc neck designs

O.K. now I got ya.

Ironwood maybe? Bloody heavy though.

Tim Spittle sells she-oak neck blanks that could be a complete one piece.
Sheoak works great for fingerboards and should do well for necks, if that's
what you're after.

I built a neck out of Qld walnut that's quite dense and I'd have no qualms using that particular billet for a one piece neck and f/board either.
The trade-off with really dense billets of Qld walnut is extra weight.

cheers, Stu

Originally Posted by black_labb

im looking for woods that are hard enough for use as a fingerboard and neck in a single piece

On that basis, I would back Jarrah. I have used it for both fingerboards and necks and have gained good results from both. I haven't experienced anything that would suggest that Jarrah would detract tonally at all.

On the topic of "Timber Booty"....has anyone been to the Timber and Working With Wood Show this year? I went to the Melbourne one a couple of weekends ago and was blown away by the prices. Here is a QLD Maple 3.3m x 40mm thick x 500mm wide (at narrowest point) slab I picked up for $170!!!!......






And a Tas Myrtle 60mm thick billett, enough for one hell of a bookmatched carvetop for $30....



Check out the woodshows luthiers! If this is what the timber is worth then why are so many 'luthier suppliers' stinging us so badly????? I'm not really that naive to not know the answer BTW.....

Why do I get my wood from Tonewood suppliers?

Im not set up for re-sawing wood so thats one reason I buy my tonewood ready sawn and seasoned from a tonewood supplier. There are other reasons. Alot of the tonewood suppliers are also luthiers themselves and know exactly what luthiers want. I have a good working relationship with a number of tonewood suppliers and they look after me. Because I go back to these guys I usually get discounts and freebies and when they get special pieces of wood in I get first dibs on same.

Why is tonewood so expensive? Simple supply and demand. Tassie Blackwood and Tiger Myrtle are in demand in the US. If you want to get your hands on these woods then do it soon because soon the Americans will have it all.

Nice pieces of wood by the way.

Cheers Martin