Thread: Cedar Plank 1570x210x30mm

Looks more like Kauri pine, definitely not red cedar.

Surprised!! Never met any Kauri. So, instrument quality?
Reminds me of a joke about Wayne Carey (AFL footballer) who was telling his mates about a new timber kitchen he was installing in a rental property. "Is it in Kaurie pine?" asks a mate. "Nup, it's in Keilor Downs", he answers...(Melbourne joke)

Probably depends on what instrument you want to make; I don't know much about it, but I do know that selecting good tone-woods for instruments that rely on resonance, like violins and acoustic guitars, is an art in itself that takes years of work to master and is down to the individual piece of timber as much as the species.

I guess it depends on what kind of instrument you have in mind. I would say it would make the top for a playable guitar or the like as the grain looks to be reasonable. Who knows if you dont try.
Regards
John

Thanks Elan, I have a friend who makes guitars. Maybe he will take it. Now getting it to Adelaide!!!?

Thanks John, Will see if a friend will take it for guitars. Peter

Whoa folks, there's no way that's Kauri! Kauri doesn't have prominent earlywood/latewood rings. And certainly not Cedar as in Australian Red Cedar (Toona ciliata), but it sure looks a lot like old-growth Western Red cedar (Thuja sp.) to me....

WRC is used as a tonewood by some, I've read that it produces a soft, mellow tone.....

Cheers,

Thanks Ian, My first thoughts were WRC, but there was not much of a fragrance while machining it. I remember WRC having a quite distinctive smell. Definitely old growth & that's why I always scavenge through road side piles!

Indeed, Repete, one can usually pick WRC when it hits the saw or planer, but the fragrance doesn't stay with it forever. You may find there's still some deeper in the wood, but I guess most of the volatile chemicals have succumbed to the years many hot, dry Summers....

Cheers,

Just to throw in another possibility here,Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is quite similar to WRC in appearance and texture.

This would be my pick and many associates that view my stash of Redwood will argue black and blue that it's WRC!

Upon machining or sanding ,there is also little odour to be had which could explain the lack of fragrance you had experienced.

Thanks Ian, I docked the ends & there was no fragrance at all, but you are right, this is a very old bit of timber!!

Thanks CR, this wood can be easily marked with a fingernail!! I thought Redwood was a little harder??

Pete, that's correct, but the difference between the given Janka hardness ratings (480 & 420) is rather like "soft" & "a little bit softer", so it's kind of hard for a fingernail to discriminate to that degree. I don't know how long it takes for Cedar to lose all of it's characteristic odour, but it does last a very long time.

For most intents & purposes, the two woods are completely interchangeable, but don't know about use as a tonewood. Your instrument-making friend will no doubt have some clues about that....

Cheers,

Forgive me for asking the obvious, but if it were WRC (and I will say it's possible by the photo), surely the weight (specifically, lack thereof) would give this away?

Can you throw this on a set of scales and let us know how heavy it is? Given that it's dressed, and therefore of an exacting set of dimensions, we can then calculate cube weight, and use that for some clues?