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Im considering purchasing a nice set of back/sides wood online. I am hesitant because in a few spots there are relatively shallow (but still evident) saw marks. Would it be safe to buy the set and just brace right over the saw marks or should I avoid this wood? -Alex

Most of the sets I buy from the Spanish suppliers are rough-sawn, some with more evident, some with less evident saw marks. A lot of the other stuff is at least more or less sanded (or sawn smoother), but all of it is quite a bit too thick to build with and requires thinning down significantly. Most sets I get are at least 4mm thick, almost double my target thickness.

Unless you have the vendor joint and thickness for you (a service LMI offer, for example), plan on thinning your plates down, which should take care of saw marks.

Yep, it is almost certainly too thick for final dimensions and the saw marks will come out when you thickness it. When it comes time to join the back halves, you will be glad for the extra thickness. It can be difficult to join backs that are already close to final thickness without needing to remove too much wood evening everything up.

Don't let rough sawn back and sides keep you from getting wood. Go ahead and get what you want; while you are letting it acclimate to your shop, read up on thickness methods so you will have a plan of attack. there are multiple ways to get your backs and sides down to reasonable thicknesses, you just have to figure out what works for you. Plenty of info here to get you started.

Also, you asked if it was okay to brace over the saw marks. No, you will want to prep both sided of the plate (the outside for obvious reasons and the inside to give a good gluing surface). resist the urge to flatten the show side and leave the inside rough. . .

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Many prewar Martins had visible saw marks inside the body.
I have bought and sold sets that had saw marks that would not sand out completely on the inside surfaces. However, those types of sets auctioned on Ebay rarely bring as much money as clean ones.
Personally, I don't consider it an issue, as long as the wood is structurally sound.
If braces are glued in areas with saw marks, I tend to selectively thin those areas if a smoother surface is required. IMHO, that does not necessarily mean removing all visible traces of the saw marks.

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John

Only a problem if the backs/sides aren't thick enough to start with.....