Some cracks in fretboard

[hendrix2]

Hi,
I've noticed my fretboard has a lot of cracks in it. (see picture)
Is there any way this can be fixed? What is the reason this happened?
Will this affect the sound or eventually destroy the mandolin?

I'm still pretty new at mandolins, so I don't know if this is common or not.



Thanks,

[Narayan Kersak]

Looks like you've got a rosewood finger board. My guitars have that too. They are not cracks, just the natural state of the wood.

[sunburst]

That's a rosewood fingerboard, and those are pores in the wood (actually, vessel elements). Rosewood is a porous wood, meaning it has pores big enough to see. Some rosewood has more of that than other, and it's not the best fingerboard material if the pores are large, but it is normal, and those in the picture aren't cracks.

[hendrix2]

Thanks! I'm glad it's something normal.

Actually just noticed I have 3 guitars with a rosewood fingerboard en they have that too

[testore]

Vessel elements? I prefer pores
There are two very general wood catagories, open grain and closed grain.A silly way to determine a "hardwood" or a "softwood" but that is how it's done. By this method,balsa wood is actually a hardwood.

[thistle3585]

A silly way to determine a "hardwood" or a "softwood" but that is how it's done. By this method,balsa wood is actually a hardwood.

Never heard that before. I was always understood that hardwoods were deciduous and softwoods were coniferous. Trans lated to be that hardwoods are those trees that lost their leaves in the winter.

[testore]

Oak trees don't lose their leaves do they? Not trying to be a smart%*&, that's a serious question. There are a ton here in CA. and I think they stay green all year, with their leaves,at least a good deal of them. Spruce,where are you?
That is what I learned in high school wood shop. Doesn't make a lot of sense I'll admit.

[woodwizard]

Yes they do! Oak trees always loose their leaves in the fall atleast they do in Arkansas.

[sunburst]

All trees loose their leaves, the ones that stay green all winter just don't loose them all at once. Pine trees and such have leaves (needles) that are deciduous every three or four years or something like that. That's one of the ways to tell what species of tree it is; how many years it keeps it's leaves. There are oak trees that stay green all winter, like live oak, but most loose their leaves each year. Tamarack (larch) is a softwood species that looses it's leaves (needles) each year.
Whether or not a tree is deciduous on a yearly basis is not the last word on what is a hardwood and what is a softwood.

From the glossary in the back of Understanding Wood by R. Bruce Hoadley:

"Gymnosperm:
The class of plants having naked seeds (not enclosed in an ovary). Within this group are the trees yielding softwood lumber.

Angiosperm:
Belonging to the class of plants having seeds enclosed in an ovary. Within this class, the subclass dicotyledons includes all hardwood trees."


So, the hardness of the wood doesn't determine whether it's called a hardwood or a softwood, but instead it is whether the tree has flowers or cones.

[Tom C]

Last fall/winter, we, here in NY, had a customer over from India. He was wondering what was up with the trees? Do they leaves? as he's never seen a tree without leaves before

[testore]

good info. It's nice learning a little . Thanks

[Bill Snyder]

Yes they do! Oak trees always loose their leaves in the fall atleast they do in Arkansas.

Live oaks loose their leaves in the spring, but as the old ones fall new ones start to appear.

[testore]

so you're saying they don't have a period when they are without leaves?

[Bill Snyder]

They have a period where they don't have many, but before the last of the "old" leaves fall some of the new leaves have started to appear.
At least the live oaks here in central Texas.

[buddyellis]

Live and Water oaks both typically keep their leaves through the winter (at least in Florida)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_virginiana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_oak

[testore]

i'm not 100% sure of the ones here.Funny topic, but interesting.

[DavidB]

It is my opinion that Oaks (Water, White oak, etc), the small leaved types. Do both here in Florida. They are never really bare of leaves but I do have to rake a lot of leaves in my yard in the spring.

[jasona]

The yard where I grew up in Michigan has 7 oaks in it. I recall monumental fall raking efforts that continued into late fall. True, the leaves didn't ALL come down at once, but by the end of winter those trees were pretty bare (and my arms pretty sore).

Back then we were allowed to burn the leaves too. That was a lot of fun for a kid. We got the flames up 10 feet sometimes! It was a bit of a contest around the neighbourhood.

[markishandsome]

IIRC, Hoadley does in fact classify balsa as a hardwood.

[carteru93]

My banjo fretboard looks like that and I think it's rosewood.

[Bill Snyder]

Most oaks loose their leaves in the fall and new ones grow back in the spring. Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana) hold their leaves through the fall and winter and start dropping them in the spring. As the old leaves fall new ones appear so Live Oaks are never totally bare, hence the name LIVE Oak.
It is my understanding that some of the other oaks will hold their leaves through out most of the winter as well in mild climates.

[mandolinplucker]

You will notice, as time goes on that the rosewood isn't as hard as ebony. I have two guitars with rosewood fret boards. The wood is wearing almost as fast as the frets. My fingers have worn divots in the wood of the board. When I have to do a refret I will have to plane the wood level again.

[Michael Lewis]

Gary, since we are both in California we have many of the same trees, among which are the inland live oak which always appear to have lots of leaves. Around here they drop a bunch of them when the weather gets really dry, like at the end of the hot weather/begining of the cooler weather. Still, they look pretty full of leaves. Our black oaks and blue oaks drop their leaves and are bare by early January usually.

It is a bit odd how some of the varieties of oak will cross breed. Black oak/ live oak cross have large heavy leaves with sharp points and loose most but not all leaves during the cold weather.