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I believe that mahogany is appreciated for its resistance to changes in humidity, in that it doesn't expand or contract very much. What north American woods share this trait? Looking for some readily available woods from lumberyards for making a three dimensional puzzle. Need the wood to hold its dimensions. Ideas? Thanks.

Pine is fairly stable.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

No it's not. Pine warps and cups terribly, even when close to quarter sawn. At least, the stuff I use does.

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

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Plywoods! Sorry, it was the first thing on the top of my head...but it's true.

Baked woods! Ok, that was slightly more serious...cooking the wood ruins its ability to take up and release moisture, making it less warpy.

Maple is up there for least warpy woods, given how well it works in most any cut orientation in a million Fender necks.

So, in summation, maybe some of that carmelized maple would be the ticket? Even better if you made ply out of it, though

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

in my experience, mahogany. both "true" and khaya, but not sapelle.
ebony is pretty bad, and madagascar rosewood is proving rather susceptible too.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

I have to disagree, Peter. The problem most people have with any wood warping or cupping is because once it has been dimensioned, they lay it flat on a work surface, restricting one surface from expanding/contracting, and not finishing all surfaces equally. Over the last 25 yrs, I've made a lot of cabinets and furniture from white pine, all of it flat sawn, without problems. My kitchen table where I'm sitting is three boards and 35" wide, and flat. Moisture content and equilibrium will also factor how any wood will react.
As a species, white pine is known to be stable, how we treat and work it will determine the results.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I always found mahogany to be pretty stable dimensionally.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

According to resources for sizing panels in 5 pc. cabinet doors, Mahogany is among the most stable woods listed with regards to change in RMC. But Maple, while having more movement tends to react much slower and can appear more stable on a daily basis on a guitar in a touring situation.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Pages 16 and 17 show the coefficients of expansion (per % EMC) for common dried woods: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgt ... ter_13.pdf
For a 3D puzzle, for the minimum Cr and especially Ct, Northern Catalpa looks best. Also Eastern Red Cedar (aromatic). Sugar and Eastern White Pine are good, other Pines more average. Their Mahogany numbers aren't very low, but the footnote says that data is over a wider MC range.

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David Malicky

Mahogany, black walnut seems stable in my experience as well. I hear macassar ebony is stable too, at least relative to the usual ebony. But you are interested in North AMerican woods...so black walnut should work out for you well I think.

mesquite...most dimensionally stable wood I've worked with...

prime example: leak occurs in a house under construction...decimates the 1st floor....subfloor removed and trashed, oak hardwood flooring history...mesquite flooring in study felt wet to the touch, but hadn't cupped or anything...wood was removed, subfloor R&R'd, mesquite was allowed to dry and was put back down...

can't think of any other wood I've dealt with that would have survived that...hmmm...well maybe ipe, but I rather hate that stuff...

David.

Thanks for this. Very interesting reading. I find it interesting in a number of ways. One is that many have suggested that persimmon, being very hard, might make a decent substitution for ebony as a fretboard or bridge material. But it seems to react very strongly to changes in humidity. Seems not to bode well for guitars built with it as a fretboard or bridge.

Also, maple looks good, and so do all those pines. And they are so different in terms of their hardness. Maybe I'm worrying too much about this.

Mesquite. That would be cool, and would smell good too. Not sure I can find pieces big enough to cut that would work for the piece I'm thinking of.

As for ipe, ugh. I think I'd need a very strong laser to cut it straight.

thanks, Brian. I think I'm going to start with maple. Hard, pretty, and common. And if it's pretty stable, that's even better. You going to ASIA this year? I think I saw you at the last one.

Corky

well, I admit that I most likely have an 'advantage' on the subject of mesquite since a lot of it is milled here in Texas...but, I think you should be able to find a piece big enough for just about anything if you look a bit... http://www.mesquiteburl.com/mesquite-lumber.aspx ...can't give any recommendation about that place, just found it quickly on google...all of the stuff I've used has been supplied through middlemen...

I've dealt with some pretty big slabs of the stuff over the years (easily big enough to make an electric out of a solid piece)

I believe western red cedar is your best bet. It's even used unfinished for outside furniture since like forever.

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

Petrified wood is pretty awesome but its a bugger to bend.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Black Locust or Honey Locust.

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Southern pine does pretty well.

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

Yes, I'll be there. See you then.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Eastern red Cedar (smells divine). Not really surprising that it's pretty stable in respect to moisture. They use it in fipple flutes, Recorders etc.

Basswood (Tilia americana)

I did some wet-room tests and it seems to move at least as much, if not actually more, than African ebony. But it seems to crack harder, and it is definitely less brittle when flexing it. My samples were returned to the dry shop and a couple days later I found the black ebony cracked from the fast drying, the Macassar was in 1 piece and not warped.

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Build log

I have worked with Catalpa and that is about as stable as a piece of wood can be. There are a few factors you overlooked , and that is how it was dried. I find kiln dried to be more stable than air dried . Also the cut . while well quartered may stay flatter it may shrink and expand more than flat sawn.
All wood will move to a degree.
Petrified is the most stable and you don't need a filler

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Cherry, sassafras, and black locust are some of the most stable domestic woods I have used. Walnut is also a good choice. I would stay away from sugar maple. Silver maple and bigleaf are much better, but not as good as the woods I recommended.

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John