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Thread: How would you joint this?

  1. #1
    Registered User Tavy's Avatar
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    Default How would you joint this?

    I'm looking for opinions on how to joint this back to make the best use of the figure (I'm hoping to finish blonde if I can):

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    However, down the right hand side (which would normally be the centre of the back, and is where the best figure is) there is a darker coloured wavy stripe:

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    There might just be enough width to cut this off if necessary, but that might lead to other less-desirable parts on the outside edge being included. The two halfs are book-matched though, so I'm wondering whether this is actually something to keep and embrace rather than discard?

    Anyway I'm hoping someone has seen this kind of dark side-stripe before and I can pinch all your ideas for dealing with it

    Many thanks in advance, John.

  2. #2
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: How would you joint this?

    To me, the idea behind a blonde maple instrument is to make it as boring as possible. By that, I mean even color, even figure, no distinguishing marks, that sort of thing. If that is the goal with this instrument, I'd say get another piece of wood, although it looks to me like the figure is good enough everywhere to cut away the color.
    If that is not the goal, and a little "interest" in the wood is desirable, feature the wavy color streak, and perhaps even try to get matching wood for the sides and neck with similar coloring.

    Can you tell what caused the color? Is it the bark side of the piece or the heart side? I can't really tell from the photos, but it looks like it might even be a 'tan line' from exposure to light in a stack. If it is, it will carve away.

    BTW, I've stashed away a few tops and backs, over the years, that I've had nearly carved for sunbursted mandolins but the color and figure was just too boringly homogeneous to stain over. That's my "blonde pile" for use in the event of an order for a blonde. I've recently started a blonde manolin, red spruce and hard maple, just because I have the wood and it is so rare to find red spruce and sugar maple clear and white enough for a blonde. In some ways it seems a shame to stain over nearly blemish free wood, but it happens all the time while others are searching for and paying extra for such wood for blondes.

  3. #3
    Registered User bernabe's Avatar
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    Default Re: How would you joint this?

    looking at the right side edge, if this discolored area is not very deep, the center arch may miss it either over or under [dependin on whether the side youre showing is going to be the inside or outside]. Or, assuming this is two pieces book matched, cut the same amount off each half [enough to remove the area] as long as the pieces are wide enouph for the instrument width that is, and it will still be bookmatched technically.

  4. #4
    Registered User Tavy's Avatar
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    Default Re: How would you joint this?

    Thanks for the ideas - I'm not sure which edge is the bark side (not at all obvious, the grain is pretty uniform in width right across) - other than the tonewood retailer had indicated the right side to be jointed. The back will be flat, so the mark won't get carved away, and appears to go right through the pieces (at least it's on both sides).

    Cheers, John.

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