Official Luthiers Forum!

I recently got a shipment of bracewood that contained quite a few pieces with Bearclaw. They are straight-grained, tight-grained and split nicely, but they have bearclaw figure. What is the general opinion of you guys and girls about using Bearclaw material for braces? I would sell them stating that they did have Bearclaw, but am wondering about if anyone has any experience or opinions about them structurally.

Natalie

I have never used bearclaw, so I am just guessing.

Bearclaw is used for tops, which have the greatest risk for runout failure, but bearclaw seems OK. So, maybe beraclaw is not a risk for braces. Test pieces for runout, as you would any brace wood.

I'm led to believe that bear claw has a lower strength/weight ratio than its straight grained counterpart. As well, I could imagine that it would be harder to carve with planes and chisels than straight grained wood. I wouldn't buy it.

Use it and take pictures of the completed bearclaw braces before closing the top.

Call it "rare" and charge extra for it.

Post reports of people listening to the guitar without knowing it had bearclaw bracing, and they thought there was something special about the tone, but they couldn't QUITE put their finger on it. It was just different somehow, but in a GOOD way. Almost....magical!!

When you run out, sell the last 2 guitars that have the bracing for $30,000 each.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

If this is the Natalie Swango I think it is, she's not asking because she's about to build a couple of guitars.

I'm not among the experts here, Natalie, but I wouldn't want to use that wood.

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George :-)

I would think that it would have an effect on the carving of the braces. I wouldn't be opposed to trying it, but I would want to know that was what I was getting in my order.
Wendy

NO

How much of the stuff do you have Natalie? I would be interested in using some for my marquetry and inlay work

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

I have used it many times. IMHO, it is perfectly fine for bracing, and is no more difficult to carve than spruce without bearclaw.
.

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John

I agree with Todd

Where does that information come from? I have not noticed any difference, provided the density is the same.

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John

I kinda want a few batches.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Let me elaborate: IMO if there's one part of a guitar that needs to be made from material with even and consistent strength and stiffness, it's the top bracing. It is an application where using wood as a reliable and consistent engineering material is paramount. There is no advantage to using bracewood with random and varying figure like bearclaw, and plenty of downside if that figure happens to fall in the wrong place.

I'd rather have figure than runout like some bracing I got from LMI.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

I split all my bracing now. I was using up some expensive bracing blocks from LMI . I barely touched the brace and it cracked. I did build a guitar with the same wood. I'm scared now.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Hi Natalie,
People so often cuss about the imagined failings of the brace wood they get that if I was a supplier I would be afraid to sell anything out of the ordinary as bracewood.
Are the pieces large enough to market as stock for end blocks or such? Then let the "bold" luthiers use it for braces as they see fit
It hasn't been that many years ago that bearclaw in soundboards was looked upon as a downgrade in quality.

+1 ... mean ... but funny!

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Oh no...that's an image I really don't want to think about.

Careful, you've caught the attention of the Four Horsemen of the OLF now by using the "M" word favorably! (Second in offense only to using the "C" word favorably!)

Expect derision on all your posts now.

Only two have chimed in so far, but the rest will be along shortly. Hopefully I can distract them enough so they forget about you and you can escape.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

My thoughts as well.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Remember the whole Moonwood thing. Cutting down a tree during a full moon will produce better wood. Ha Ha

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

well, it struck me that way (like high school mean), and it was funny that way - but maybe there´s a language barrier somewhere. now i just got stuck with the image of mr. da costa with briefs in his head, thanks a lot.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

If John Arnold says it's okay, I'd go along with him. He's been do'in this stuff longer'n most of us have been around.
John, .... I'm not say'n yer old, just 'experienced'.

Thanks for the feedback guys and the humor thrown in. I should lurk here more often. If anyone wants to test a couple pcs of this stock, let me know and I'll send it out. You can private message me with an address.

FYI, if you have trouble with LMI's brace stock or anything else, call or email and we'll do our level best to get the issue resolved.

Natalie - LMI