Official Luthiers Forum!
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/

Anyone ever try curly chestnut?
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=21298		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Jason [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:51 am ]
Post subject:  Anyone ever try curly chestnut?
I promise this isn't a pitch.. I don't have any to sell ;)

I've tried searching around the internet and I can't find anything on it other than one random post saying it's an amazing wood for basses.. Bass guys seem to be willing to try anything though :roll:

Anybody have any experience with the stuff? I've got a good sized log of it coming in and I don't know if I should be making some sets out of it or just mill it into lumber for my cabinet building friends.. Either way I'll pull a few blocks/sets for my own stash.

I haven't even seen the log yet, I've just been told it is coming. I'll show you guys how it turns out if anyone is interested in checking it out.. Honestly I've never had the opportunity to work with Chestnut before so I'm just interested to see something different.

And I'm sorry I'm quite the absentee forum member these days. I'm doing a lot more at work and working at a nightclub a couple nights a week. I just don't have the free time I used to any more..

Ciao!
Author:  joel Thompson [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Anyone ever try curly chestnut?
Hi jason,

is this sweet chestnut or horse chestnut there is quite a diference in the wood.
we have aot of this wood growing here in the uk and i have used it for making personal prodects and well as cut for and electric guitar maker.

either way there are few problem with the chestnuts for guitar making the main one being it has a real tendancy to twist whilst growing cuasing spiral growth resulting in short grain.

i dont think i have ever seen chestnut timber without run out due to spiral grain especialy horse chestnut.

as for the working proerties of the woods.

sweet chestnut (castanea sativa) is often known in the uk as poor mans oak as it is very simalar in apperance and working properties.
however it does not show the huge ray flecks hat oak does.

sweet chestnut can be dificult to work with and probably not the best bet for guitars
its streighter grained than horse chestnut but very course grained with quite large pores.
it carves badly however due to the course and "fluffy" texture of the grain.
it forms shakes badly whilst drying.
be prepard to dry slowly and with care

horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is very closley related to buck eye (it may be the same same wood but i have no expeience with buck eye whatsoever so could not say with authority).
it is terable for spiral growth and as such tends to suffer from wavy grain, spiral grain and run out.

it is however lovely to work with having a much finer grain.
however it is very soft and light in weight (hence its use for toys) and not very durable compared to the exotics we are used to for guitars.
it was often used for coffins due to its ability to resist rot.

horse chestnut is less likely to split on you and is easier to dry.

if these woods are not suitable for acoustics they may make nice electric guitar bodies or caps due to the lighter weight especialy if it has nice figure.

if the wood you have is nice and stright grained and free of twist you allways cut a few sets and send them out to well known makers to test for you.

in my experience you get very honest feedback by running tests like this with good luthiers as if they liked the wood they will want more if they dident they will surly tell you.

i hope this helps a bit,
but would like to point out this is just my personal and as has been pointed out to me recently should allways be taken with a "pinch of salt"

Joel.
Author:  JimWomack [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Anyone ever try curly chestnut?
If it's been cut in the northeast, it's almost certainly a Chinese Chestnut or a Chinese/American hybrid. Before the blight wiped out the American Chestnut, it was one of the most important lumber sources in the northeast. About 25 years ago, I helped a friend in Kentucky build a barn out of some Chinese Chestnut he logged off his property. It's really straight grained stuff... pretty hard too. Probably work OK as tonewood.
Author:  Jason [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Anyone ever try curly chestnut?
Thanks guys.. Very informative ;)

I'll get some photos whenever it shows up. I have know idea what kind of Chestnut it is.

I'm not trying to make it into something it is not and it's kind of a one off tree, I doubt we'll get any more. I'll probably just cream the pile for bass/electric caps and and run the rest into cabinet stock.

Oh and Jim, it is local so I don't know what would be growing in your NW ( my SW ;) )
Author:  JimWomack [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Anyone ever try curly chestnut?
Jason wrote:
Oh and Jim, it is local so I don't know what would be growing in your NW ( my SW ;) )


It's probably an American/Chinese hybrid then. A lot of work has been done in Canada over the years hybridizing the American Chestnut... trying to give it some blight resistance. Good luck with it, Jason. And don't forget the pictures!
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Anyone ever try curly chestnut?
Jason,

If the stuff has some curl and good figure, please count me in for a set...

Mike

(not a pitch, but definitely a fishing trip, and you hooked one at least ;) )
Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC - 5 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/