Official Luthiers Forum! • View topic

Board index » Luthiers Forum Rooms » Guitar Building Forum

All times are UTC - 5 hours

Forum rules

Be nice, no cussin and enjoy!

Hickory or Hemlock?

Page 1 of 1

[ 12 posts ]

Print view

Previous topic | Next topic

Author

Message

Corky Long

Post subject: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:39 pm

Koa

Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:23 am
Posts: 1372
First name: Corky
Last Name: Long
City: Mount Kisco
State: NY
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur

Anyone ever built a steel string with Hickory for backs and sides?
How about Hemlock for tops?
Have some local sources - wondering what I might expect. Thanks!

Top

David Newton

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:41 pm

Koa

Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:13 am
Posts: 1167
Location: United States
State: Texas
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional

Hemlock is used for wood ladders.
I bought a board of hemlock that looked perfect for a top, fairly close grain, perfectly quartered. Resawed and thinned it and it was much too floppy.
Spruce is nice for tops.

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110

Top

Bill Hodge

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:03 pm

Koa

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:27 pm
Posts: 1246
Location: Arkansas, USA
First name: Bill
Last Name: Hodge
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional

David,

I have a couple of perfectly quartered hemlock boards. Do you think they might work out for linings
or braces?

_________________
Bill Hodge

One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Top

Laurent Brondel

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:02 pm

Contributing Member

Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2005 7:30 am
Posts: 1792
Location: United States

Hemlock is much more prone to splitting than spruce. I know a builder who built a guitar with a hemlock top, apparently they had to CA cracks constantly during the build.

_________________
Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Top

David Newton

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:22 pm

Koa

Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:13 am
Posts: 1167
Location: United States
State: Texas
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional

I don't like it for anything on a guitar.

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110

Top

Bill Hodge

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:20 pm

Koa

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:27 pm
Posts: 1246
Location: Arkansas, USA
First name: Bill
Last Name: Hodge
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional

Thanks for the input Laurent and David. Well, that's two strikes against it and I'm sure there's
a third so I guess I'll just use it on some jigs or something. Mt curiosity was aroused when I had
seen some Hemlock soundboards for sale at Alaska Tonewoods. I just hadn't seen anyone talk
about it much.

_________________
Bill Hodge

One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Top

MRS

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:56 am

Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 9:43 pm
Posts: 774
Location: Philadelphia, USA
First name: Michael
Last Name: Shaw
City: Philadelphia
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro

Here's a site that has some good info on wood characteristics...Mike
http://www.thewoodbox.com/data/wood/hickoryWoodInfo.htm

Top

truckjohn

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:08 pm

Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:27 pm
Posts: 2109
Location: South Carolina
First name: John
Last Name: Cox
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur

I think Hickory would make a fine back, sides, and neck.
It has fairly large pores, and is easily mistaken for Oak, without the
cross grain rays.

Otherwise, it bends easily and is very strong

Good luck

John

Top

Bill Hodge

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:09 pm

Koa

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:27 pm
Posts: 1246
Location: Arkansas, USA
First name: Bill
Last Name: Hodge
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional

I need to correct myself regarding my statement above. I meant to say Alaska "Specialty Woods" not "Tonewoods". duh

_________________
Bill Hodge

One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Top

csullivan

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:07 pm

Cocobolo

Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 5:52 am
Posts: 334
Location: United States

Bill,
if you're looking for strike 3, I'd say you don't want to ingest it. Wasn't it Juliet that took hemlock to end it all? Or one of Shakespeare's other characters?

Top

Bill Hodge

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:30 pm

Koa

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:27 pm
Posts: 1246
Location: Arkansas, USA
First name: Bill
Last Name: Hodge
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional

Guess I better build a small shelf out of it then so I won't be tempted to eat it! Eat Drink

_________________
Bill Hodge

One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Top

Tim McKnight

Post subject: Re: Hickory or Hemlock?

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:45 am

Contributing Member

Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2005 1:43 am
Posts: 1533
Location: Morral, OH

I have built several Hickory guitars. Shag bark is my favorite over Pig Nut. The pores are a challenge to fill ;(

_________________
tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Top

Page 1 of 1

[ 12 posts ]

Board index » Luthiers Forum Rooms » Guitar Building Forum

All times are UTC - 5 hours

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: bobgramann, meddlingfool and 10 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: