Maple bridge blanks

[johnwalser]

I want to try my hand at making some maple bridges and need about a dozen blanks. I can find ebony and rosewood, but no maple blanks. Can anyone help?
John
johnw@inreach.com

[crawdad]

If it was me I'd just buy a piece of maple and cut my blanks. I'm not sure if the grain direction matters or not, but somebody around here knows I bet.

[Fretbear]

You can by a quartersawn fiddle neck blank from a violin parts supplier. Lots of stock there and not much waste. You shouldn't have to pay more than $20.00.

[thistle3585]

I gave some maple to Red Henry for maple bridges. He sent me a roughed out maple bridge, but I'm not sure if he is selling these or just doing research. I still haven't done anything with it. If you need some let me know, we can work something out. Check out Red's site first.

[thistle3585]

Sorry, here's the website http://www.murphymethod.com/redbridge.html

Also, there are links of other sites on bridge building.

[c3hammer]

Here's a pic of the shape and grain I used to make mine.

It's just a cut-off piece from a hardwood flooring job a friend did. #It turned out to be the perfect piece of scrap.

Go look for some hardwood flooring or cabinet shops and see if you can dig through their maple scaps. #I'm sure someone around you has some 1/4 sawn maple you can work with and they will most likely give it to you for free.

Cheers,
Pete

[8ch(pl)]

Another item is offcuts from Maple stair treads. Look for grain running straight across, or close to ... Even a tread itself is not that expensive and will render lots.

I have some Beech that makes a nice hard bridge.

Best wishes

[Jim M.]

Steve Tourtellotte makes them:

http://www.mandolinbridge.com/

This is based on Red Henry's design and has received praise on Co-Mando.

[johnwalser]

Thanks for all the help! Red is sending me a couple of pieces of maple to start with. I also have some "old" gnarled oak I am going to cut into blanks to try. I live 7000 ft. up in the High Sierra in a grove of Giant Sequoia trees and know of a huge old stump on private land (tree cut down around 50 years ago) and will try some of it in the spring (snow at this time)
John

[Spruce]

Check with building materials recycling places for some interesting scores....

I recently found a whole incredibly figured birdseye maple floor milled in 1888 for 100 bucks...
Lots and lots of 3" wide strips that are good for mando sides (and bridges), and the wood has a history in it that you can just smell....

This stuff is pretty commonly found throughout the country, I'd suspect....

[oldwave maker]

Habitat for humanity in albuquerque was selling off the hard maple floor of the rainbow gardens roller rink for $3bd/ft a while back, half a century of rollerskate vibration and case hardening, also Mckinney wrecking in el paso had the lanes from a bowling alley for a buck a sq ft.
heres ray aldens alien design in rinkmaple and oxfemur:

[Tim Saxton]

that is a real hot lookin bridge!! how's the sound

Tim Saxton