Official Luthiers Forum!

Owned and operated by Lance Kragenbrink
It is currently Mon Jul 21, 2025 1:51 pm


All times are UTC - 5 hours


Forum rules


Be nice, no cussin and enjoy!




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 3 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: soundboard?
PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 11:54 pm 
Offline
Walnut
Walnut

Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 10:25 pm
Posts: 1
First name: cameron
Last Name: bailey
City: ca
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I picked up some reclaimed curly redwood that was 3/4" paneling from a house that was built around 1890 and I was thinking of milling it into soundboards. Can wood be to dry for this? I would think you can not get any more stable then this. This would be the first soundboards I have made and just wanted to check before I cut them up.
I am thinking about selling some of these because I do not need them all. I am going to book match them then drum sand them. What is the best thickness and grit to end up at for someone looking at buying soundboards? I also bought A claro walnut slab but I am not sure if I what to make a table with it or mill it up for backs and sides or solid body.
Here is a few pics. The curly redwood is still in reclaimed state with a top coat on it and was not sanded well. The claro walnut was wet with a little water to show the color.
Attachment:
IMG_8181_1_1.JPG
Attachment:
IMG_8182_2_1.JPG
Attachment:
IMG_8183_3_1.JPG
Attachment:
IMG_8184_4_1.JPG


You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: soundboard?
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 9:54 am 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 10:44 am
Posts: 6262
Location: Virginia
That is quite beautiful stuff! Let me tell you from experience. I did the same thing. My brother in law is a carpenter who does a lot of remodeling work in Connecticut. Nice houses up there. He gave me a piece of curly red wood siding, nail holes and all. I made a top out of it for a classical guitar. I have to say that I will never do that again. IMO Curly Redwood is not suitable for guitar tops. So far I've been lucky and this guitar is ok. I think maybe the low tension nylon is why. When I got into this project I realized how brittle this wood was to work with. It tends to form concoidal fractures along the curls. I built it anyway with the mind set that I can always retop it. Since then I've sold it but only because a customer begged me for it so I did.

I would however consider making a double top guitar with the stuff as I'm sure that a nomex core would hold it together nicely. Incidentally I made an electric guitar top out of that stuff and it was beautiful and had amazing acoustic properties.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: soundboard?
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:15 am 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:25 pm
Posts: 2749
Location: Netherlands
Electric guitar tops waiting to happen right there.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 3 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: meddlingfool and 33 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
phpBB customization services by 2by2host.com