western redcedar

[Gary Leonard]

Max Girouard has made/makes mandolins with Port Orford Cedar tops - here's the one he made for me:

Check out the sound of Jill's mandolin here.
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...A-Week-Project

I'd love to hear a mandolin with a WRC top, anyone have any links?

[Greg P. Stone]

OK, I did some research and Port Orford cedar is stronger and harder than Sitka spruce. Western Redcedar is close to Sitka Spruce in strength but lighter and not nearly as hard. So Port Orford Cedar seems quite special indeed as a tone wood.

My personal experience with a western redcedar guitar top was that it was amazingly sensitive when playing with bare fingers but would actually distort under heavy picking.


Common Name(s): Western Redcedar, Western Red Cedar

Scientific Name: Thuja plicata

Distribution: Pacific Northwest United States/Canada

Tree Size: 165-200 ft (50-60 m) tall, 7-13 ft (2-4 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 23 lbs/ft3 (370 kg/m3)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .31, .37

Janka Hardness: 350 lbf (1,560 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 7,500 lbf/in2 (51.7 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,110,000 lbf/in2 (7.66 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 4,560 lbf/in2 (31.4 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 2.4%, Tangential: 5.0%, Volumetric: 6.8%, T/R Ratio: 2.1
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Common Name(s): Port Orford Cedar, Lawson’s Cypress

Scientific Name: Chamaecyparis lawsoniana

Distribution: Pacific northwest United States

Tree Size: 150-200 ft (45-60 m) tall, 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 29 lbs/ft3 (465 kg/m3)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .39, .47

Janka Hardness: 590 lbf (2,620 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 12,290 lbf/in2 (84.8 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,646,000 lbf/in2 (11.35 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 6,080 lbf/in2 (41.9 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.6%, Tangential: 6.9%, Volumetric: 10.1%, T/R Ratio: 1.5
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Common Name(s): Sitka Spruce

Scientific Name: Picea sitchensis

Distribution: Northwestern North America

Tree Size: 130-160 ft (40-50 m) tall, 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 27 lbs/ft3 (425 kg/m3)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .36, .42

Janka Hardness: 510 lbf (2,270 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 10,150 lbf/in2 (70.0 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,600,000 lbf/in2 (11.03 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 5,550 lbf/in2 (38.2 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.3%, Tangential: 7.5%, Volumetric: 11.5%, T/R Ratio: 1.7

[anon-rickf]

I have an A5 with a Port Orford Cedar top, Walnut back and sides that was built for me last year. Very nice mandolin with a strong voice, a lot of fundamental tones, not as much overtones as spruce. It has rapidly become the "Alpha" in my little pack of mandolins.

[Jeff Hildreth]

Rick,

Very interesting mandolin.

Who built it.

Jeff

Williams, Or.

[anon-rickf]

Rick,

Very interesting mandolin.

Who built it.

Jeff

Williams, Or.

Jeff, Jerry Firth from Merlin was builder.

Rick