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| Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=30179 |
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| Author: | Alexandru Marian [ Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:04 am ] |
| Post subject: | Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
What do you guys feel about these. For the few guitars I've built I was lucky and received quartered, or at least pretty close to that, material. Now that I started to hoard more of it, rift to flat boards emerge here and there. (at least these are 10 years old) The thing is that there seems to be a consensus about ebony not being the most stable of woods. In this case, are we not forcing our luck by using flatsawn ebony? |
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| Author: | Kent Chasson [ Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
There's not a huge differential between quartered and flat sawn ebony but all of it moves enough to begin with that I would tend to stay away from the flat sawn. |
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| Author: | Mark Groza [ Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
I find when ebony dries out, it shrinks and cracks more than most woods. I also find that keeping boiled linseed oil on a fretboard every 6 months helps to keep that from happening weather flatsawn or not. |
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| Author: | Laurent Brondel [ Thu Dec 02, 2010 7:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
I returned every flat sawn ebony board I received by mistake or carelessness, most were badly warped in any case. Rift is perfectly OK IME. |
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| Author: | bluescreek [ Fri Dec 03, 2010 6:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
Boiled linseed oil is hygroscopic . Oiling a fingerboard is not needed and not recommended. If you feel you need to do this a few drops once a year is more than enough. Your body oil from playing is all that the board needs . Martin used to use 3 in 1 oil to condition a new board but now use Ax Wax . Wood will shrink from lose of moisture or expand from absorbing moisture in relation to the RH . Keep the instrument hydrated with a humidifier for best results. They don't cost much and can save in considerable cost for damage repair . All ebony that I saw cracked usually cracked because of neglect . I am with Laurent , I don't like flatsawn anything for a fretboard . Quartered or rift but not flat |
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| Author: | Michael.N. [ Fri Dec 03, 2010 7:24 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
Many of the 'high grade' pure Black Ebony I've bought recently has been pretty awful. Grain going in all sorts of swirls and directions. I've moved to buying lesser grades (colour wise) and every single one is nicely quartered and behaves much better under the plane. I ain't going back. |
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| Author: | Mike Collins [ Sat Dec 04, 2010 6:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
I will not use a flat sawn f.b. I'm with Michael N.-some of the less expensive cuts are downgraded because of color! But they are well quartered! I bought 12 -25" X 3 1/4" X 1/2' Ebony F.B.s for $10 each just last week! Perfectly quartered but with some small stripes of white or gray! Search the web. You will still find some nice well quartered f.bs. of Ebony. But there are many hardwoods that can fill Ebonys place in instrument making. And they are well cut and stable. www.cookwoods.com is one source. Mike |
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| Author: | Alexandru Marian [ Sun Dec 05, 2010 8:23 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Flatsawn ebony fingerboards? |
Assuming a flatsawn FB blank is stable and not warped, would you use it for reinforcement centers in a laminated neck? So far I've been using quartered rosewood, offcuts from extra wide sides. So the grain was perpendicular to the neck: \\=// |
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