Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi guys,
I recently purchased a couple of back & side sets of KOA,
I wont be using them for several months,
Whats the best / correct way to store guitar wood ??
Flat on a shelf completely supported ??
On edge like a book ??
ECT.........

Thanks

Gregg

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Gregg

One important consideration to an answer is, will you be keeping it in a humidity controlled area. Ideally, I try to keep
my storage area at a constant 45% if possible. If the wood is stable at around 6 - 9% moisture content, I make sure
the ends are sealed, place 1/4" stickers (Plywood strips work well) underneath spaced evenly and I try to evenly support
the upper surfaces with evenly distributed weight. Probably overkill but it makes me feel better and has always worked well.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Here are a couple of ways. Just 3/4" ply. 3/4" x 3/4". One with a weight and the other with wing nuts and bolts. The wing nut and bolts work great when baking tops. You don't need to crush, just snug them down. I would not let your wood see too much light and I would move the strips so you don't get a un- sun tanned area. I mean move them every month or couple of months depending how much light they get. It's good to check your wood once in a while. Feel it, get to know it, dream about what you will make with it. You need to keep tabs on it. That stuff doesn't grow on trees you know, it's valuable.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Question Answered !!!
Thanks Guys !!

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Gregg

And don't forget, taste it.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

If it is already dry, you don't need the stickers between them.I just sandwich between two pieces of ply the same size with clamps.Takes up less room that way and keeps the light off of them as well as prevents any sticker staining.

Bill, you said the following: If the wood is stable at around 6 - 9% moisture content, I make sure
the ends are sealed...

Which brings about a couple questions from a newbie wood stacker

You seal the ends? Why and with what? I remember a set of Amazon Rosewood I purchased from Allied appears to have the ends sealed with something wax-like.

How do I know if my wood is stable and at 6-9% moisture? I couple months ago purchased a koa b/s set from a private party on ebay, who is from hawaii. He said the wood was "kiln and air dried" - but that's about all the info I can get.

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

Howdy Paul,

The way I determine the moisture content is with a moisture meter. There are other supposed ways that may or may not
work I've heard but I've always relied on my meter. Humidity control where you store the wood is a must because as you
likely already know wood is like a sponge and will soak water from the air surrounding it. I would rather have it in an area
that is 35 - 40% (too dry) than to have it over 50%. That said if it does get too moist because of humidity, as long as it's
bound in a stable position, you can get it back to a usable state of moisture in a minimum of a couple of weeks once moved to
an area where there is good humidity control. I've found that you can fudge a little on building furniture but the thinwoods
we use in the art of lutherie are much less forgiving. You can end up with a braced assembled body (boat) that looks somewhat
like a Lays Potato chip. Dont ask how I know this.
I typically will use parafin wax to seal the ends. I melt it in a long pan (at least 8 - 10") and simply dip the ends into it for a
few seconds. It dries on almost instantly once you remove it. There are other things on the market at wood suppliers but
I've found parafin to work very well and be very cost efficient. You can get it in the canning section of your local grocer If
you don't seal the ends, most of the woods we use for guitars will dry excessively and can crack, sometimes deeply enough
to render a piece unusable. Hope this helps.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Bill - thanks.

I hope I'm not taking this thread down a path that wasn't intended - but I'll post my responses.

I keep my basement where my office and wood storage is located at about 43% relative humidity. That is real easy to do in the summer - but takes some work in the winter - but it has been quite stable this year.

So - what type of meter do I need to measure moisture content - is this an expensive item?

Thanks for the parafin wax input - I have some wood that could probably use it.

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

A good quality moisture meter can indeed be costly (especially the pinnless variety which I plan soon to upgrade to)
A budget unit can be had from Rockler and some other suppliers for around $45 but I'm not certain of their accuracy.

Here's a link that will give you an idea of the price range you're looking at.
http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?filter=Moisture+Meter&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

I have one more question about waxing the end grain:
After building two guitars using exclusively LMII's kit wizard, I'm starting to stock up a little on top wood and back/sides wood (I guess I'm hooked now ). My first buy was a very tightly grained old growth red cedar top that rings like a bell for $6.23 incl. tax which I found at a local lumber yard

I've never seen wax used on tops before, only on back/sides (that said...I haven't really seen that many guitar sets...) so I'm wondering whether I should use wax on this WRC set as well...

thanks in advance,
Christian

I use Shellac to seal end grain !
Spray can stuff works and is easy to do .

With out a doubt do as suggested & sticker you woods.

Any woods you need any of us to watch for you ?
I'm sure most here would be glad to help out.


Mike

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Mike Collins

Christian,

Mike's suggestion of shellac is an excellent choice. I typically seal the ends of everything for piece of mind. Granted I
have stored mahogany and black cherry unsealed for long periods of time with no problems but it is better to seal them if
you're storing for any length of time. Especially in the thinner dimensions. I have a lot of cherry lumber in my hay barn
that my wife is waiting for me to make her new kitchen cabinets out of. The ends of it are sealed with typical lumberyard
color coded sealer.

Mike I'd be glad to help him store the excess with you. We just have to watch out for those blasted guitar shaped termites.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Everyone has already said most of what I would think to say for the most part. One thing that was said that I am not sure I would agree with is that once a piece of tonewood is at desired moisture content and acclimated to your shop. I would be leery or sandwiching between solid sheets of ply. yes this does keep UV light form oxidizing the surface but also eliminates good air flow. this could lead to fungus and mold issue if for some reason there was a radical change in RH in your shop for one reason or an other.

I had rather have to sand off a microscopic layer of oxidation that deal with a fungus or mold.

For my money Sticker!!!!

Great, thanks a lot. I have shellac here, so I'll use that instead of wax.

Mike and Bill - so far I only have the mentioned WRC top... do you want to take turn storing it for me, or does each of you want one of the halves

Christian

-

Looks like I am wood rich as of next week. I have been buying shelves to make my "Wood Room". Are there any woods to not use for stickers?
I have an endless supply of Maple Trim and sash scraps. Can I cut it down to 1/4" slats?
So I should wax board sets that came from Luthier supplied Wood (ready to go once acclimated)

Howdy John,

Congrads on the awesome deal you got in the classifieds

If the maple you have is dried (which I assume it is) and has never been finished, it should work just fine.
I try to use a minimum thickness of 1/4". I also use 1/4" strips of Birch Plywood scraps. This works well too.
I would not use lumberyard pine, fir, redwood, or cedar. These tend to be sap laden and can stain certain types
of wood. Especially avoid any treated, green, or finished woods. If the wood you got came from "Uncle Bob" (RC Tonewoods)
as I believe af_one had stated, I suspect that he seals the ends already. I typically buy my wood in billets because I do my
own resawing for budgetary purposes. All the billets I buy are already end sealed and I rarely have to reseal them after
resawing except when I need to trim the end for some reason or another or if they were poorly sealed from the start.

Looking forward to all the beautiful guitars you're gonna produce with your new wood.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Thanks Bill! I got everything but the sheves! So I built some of those last night. I pick everything up with a Uhaul Monday! I can't wait Scared to death too! Gotta sell some Guitars to pay for this adventure!