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I have some sinker redwood tops and I was going to use one in a current build. Do people use redwood for braces as well? I have alot of old redwood given to me by my uncle that is probably fifty years old. Most of it is 2"x 6" and is flat sawn. But if it were turn I could get quartered brace wood out of the nicer pieces. Is it worth the bother?

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Depends on the stiffness.....each piece is different.....as a broad brush answer, I'd say no for guitars and maybe for ukuleles. Spruce for me is just superior to redwood for braces (I've used redwood early on...)
It also tends to split easier than spruce which is not good for hard to reach brace repairs......good luck.

In general, no, people don't use it. But you can if you want. I wouldn't use it with steel strings for fear of faster cold creep rate, but for nylons it seems to be ok. And I do think it would be good for steel strings if you use laminated braces. Redwood outer strips with one of the hardwoods I listed here in the center http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=612733#p612733. That should make them split-resistant too.

Redwood seems to vary more than the spruce I come across. Some boards don't seem particularly stiff or light. Some of it is every bit as nice as any spruce I've worked.
It's really up to the board you've got. Is the grain tight and straight? Parallel with little runout? Perfectly flat sawn? If so, use it!
If you answered "yes" to all those questions and still have doubts, I'll be happy to PM you with my shipping address so I can properly dispose of it for you [WINKING FACE]


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Bill;
what type of guitar are you making?

Mike

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Mike Collins