Huon

[Shedhand]

The oil in Huon Pine is methyl eugenol and is about 7% by weight of the timber. It can be extracted from the wood by steam distillation.
Cheers

[Baz1000]

The oil in Huon Pine is methyl eugenol and is about 7% by weight of the timber. It can be extracted from the wood by steam distillation.
Cheers

So if the oil can be expunged by steam distillation, is there a valid reason for doing so? And if the oil is removed, does the ambient moisture content increase as a result, or is the oil content incidental to the moisture content?

[Shedhand]

So if the oil can be expunged by steam distillation, is there a valid reason for doing so? And if the oil is removed, does the ambient moisture content increase as a result, or is the oil content incidental to the moisture content?

dunno Baz. I lifted that info from a technical article on the Forestry Tasmania Web Site. I guess you could ask them...they are always keen to answer technical questions about Tasmanian Timber.

[Baz1000]

dunno Baz. I lifted that info from a technical article on the Forestry Tasmania Web Site. I guess you could ask them...they are always keen to answer technical questions about Tasmanian Timber.

Thanks mate. I'll follow that up.

[woodturner777]

Correct Peter, They all work including Radiata, I note in another thread you mentioned with Radiata you said the problem with Radiata was sourcing the timber without knots I have just managed to source 60 tonnes with lots more to come from a 3rd generation family farm over 1 metre in diameter beautiful clean logs will post photos soon, I have an order for a twenty foot shipping container for to be used as electric guitar body blanks, who knows I might resaw some sound boards. Cheers Bob

I think you have already defined it! It is tempting to ask you to define "acceptable sound" but I will resist since this is getting ridiculous. To me a tonewood is successful (i.e. it "works" or produces an "acceptable sound") if the instrument can be sold without too much trouble. Taking measurements of stiffness and weight will certainly help maintain consistency from instrument to instrument, which is important, but not every one likes the same thing. King Billy Pine does not measure particularly well in comparison to Spruce, but it sounds wonderful in mandolins, and the mandolins sell well (so it certainly does "work"). However, not every one likes the King Billy sound, so it is important to be able to offer something different (and it will measure differnet) that they do like. That Huon guitar I played should sell quickly, and my radiata mandolin has been sold so Huon and radiata do "work".

To those that don't sell their instruments for a living, sales is irrelevant, it just needs to sound good. And please don't ask me to define "sound good".