Ordering wood

[Cragger]

If I want to order wood for a two piece back or two piece top, and have the two pieces already planed and ready to be joined, where would I go to do this? Would Old Standard do this or is it just rough cut billets you get from people?

[Soupy1957]

Since I'm on the edge of building my own, I'm not a great source of knowledge on this, but I CAN speak to finding "wood."

From a rookie perspective, as long as I knew what wood NOT to use, I'd be in the market anywhere I could go, including wood hunks cut from neighbors.

This is assuming I had the right equipment to get that block of wood cut down to a shape and size that was appropriate for use.

I've actually done some minor searches on Google for wood, and came up with some hits, but until I knew for sure what woods were NOT useable for an instrument (and I'm sure a number of folks in here can respond to THAT aspect of this), I don't think I'd buy just ANY wood.

Spruce seems popular on guitars, so I'd wonder if that might be a good choice, but I also wonder about Walnut, Maple or Cherry.

I would suppose "workability" and "resonance potential" and "warpage probability" are things to take into account.



-Soupy1957

[Spruce]

"If I want to order wood for a two piece back or two piece top, and have the two pieces already planed and ready to be joined..."

I'd order one-piece tops and backs and be done with it...

[Greenmando]

Bruce does not beat his own drum, but he sells premium tone wood at a great price. I bought two great one piece tops of curly redwood that is out standing. Bruce is the real deal!

[wsm]

I agree with Bruce, but that being said, check out what Luthier Mercantile has to offer.

Tops

Backs

[Spruce]

"... check out what Luthier Mercantile has to offer."

Didn't look like they were machined and ready to glue up, which is what Cragger was looking for.....

Or did I miss something?

As an aside, I wouldn't trust anyone with jointing my plates for glueing, especially some wood-butcher like myself or LMI...

And $207.65 for a quilted set???
For that price, it should hop out of the box, cook your dinner and then glue itself up...

[Dale Ludewig]

To pile on, Bruce is right about that price. It seems excessive, especially if it's not a one piece back. (I didn't check the listing but I'm assuming it's not.). Plus, from my experience, you join and glue up the plates in quick succession. Otherwise they're going to move and you're not going to have a good joint.

Bruce, you're no wood butcher to my knowledge.

[grandmainger]

Plus, from my experience, you join and glue up the plates in quick succession. #Otherwise they're going to move and you're not going to have a good joint.

I'll second that.

Once, I planed 2 pieces to perfect fit (well, as near perfection as my skill will let me achieve). I left them overnight just sitting there without glueing them. Next morning, I had to spend another 30 minutes planing the back to fit!

Germain

[sunburst]

To pile on, Bruce is right about that price. It seems excessive...

Well, that depends on what's for dinner...

[testore]

I agree with bruce, glue your own,or go with one piecers if you don't want to join it yourself.

[Arnt]

If you are going to build a mandolin from scratch, why do you need someone else to join your plates for you? It is really not that hard.

[Dale Ludewig]

John,

[Antlurz]

Dale mentioned what would be my main concern as well, and as also mentioned, once ready to glue, it should be done right away.

If you have someone else get it ready to glue, and then have it shipped to you, it's almost iron clad that they wont match by the time you get them unless the humidity of where it was done, the humidity in the truck that delivers it, and your shop are all identical.

rematching them can be just as big a chore as setting them up in the first place, and the money you spent will have been a total waste.

Ron

[mandolinplucker]

I could write a BIG book on what I don't know about about instrument building. Any input that I make to this board comes from my knowledge of woodworking in general and the little experience I have with luthier work that folks on the board have helped me with. This is specialized stuff that almost requires some experience with working with wood. Sharpening a plane, making a shooting board, jointing two pieces of wood and glueing them together is something that you would have to do to glue up a coffee table top. It's pretty basic stuff that you need to learn to do and one of the simpler steps that you will encounter in building an instrument. Read some books,get some tools and learn some skills. It's fun, interesting, and its rewarding to build something as simple as a wood box with a lid. Some turn wrenches, some grow flowers, for me its making shavings and saw dust. Time spent learning something that you enjoy isn't time wasted.

[Soupy1957]

"Time spent learning something that you enjoy isn't time wasted." THAT'S one of the most intelligent things I've heard anyone say in the Café!

Bravo!!
-Soupy1957

[Cragger]

Thanks for all of the tips. I just ordered the Siminoff book and will begin getting my work shed in order. It makes sense that I would just have to work on the edges being joined again when the pieces get here. Thanks again and let the fun and learning process begin.

[billhay4]

Cragger,
The Siminoff book is a good start, but beware. It has some procedures in it that are, to say the least, questioned by other luthiers. So, do some reading on the board here to determine if his methods are the best.
Most notably is the carving of the plates. I would suggest strongly carving the outside first, not the inside as Siminoff recommends.
Good luck from another novice luthier.
Bill

[Cragger]

Thanks. I'm sure I will be posting a lot, after searching first of course. I have been reading everything in the builders forum for about the last six months and have been getting the fever.