Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

I don't know of any local source that approximates the scope of the wood database . There are plenty of botanical guides that will give feature descriptions , distribution and often photos or botanical illustrations of local trees . They tend to work by area , either broad or local , or by family or...

The first photo of a flat sawn face is pretty distinctive , the eccentric parenchyma Bands that give a false appearance of fine growth rings are what I'm basing the coachwood identification upon .
Pete

I'd be pretty certain that it's Coachwood . Ceropetalum apetalum . The giveaway is a planed / fresh dressed / cut surface will smell sort of like caramel . It's a lovely timber . I'm a bit on the fly , off to harvest some awesome Blackwood , so haven't actually read the post ! Hopefully didn't miss ...

African mahogany is of the genus Khaya , the species are likely K senagalensis or K sylvestris . It's of the family Meliaceae which includes the true Swietenia mahoganies , that is to say , they are fairly closely related . As I recall they can be differentiated by Khaya generally lacking storied ce...

I'm all for growing trees . Like Allen I've bought seed (and collected ) from all over the place , with various success . Lots have worked though zero success on Dalbergias or Diospyros . My latest success is in growing Alerce - Fitzroya from cuttings . Just think , In 3000 years someone might make ...

Looks like Beefwood to me and Emerald would be just about right . The timber is easy to machine though a complet *&%$ to sand . It gums paper like nothing else I've encountered . There is also some coating effect on bandsaw blades in resawing though this can be countered by squirting a little chains...

As to replacements in native timbers there are no direct swap outs that don't have their own issues . I'm in the Otways harvesting currently with some awesome Blackwood coming out but that's obviously not a match for Rosewood in density , tone or colour . I am also harvesting Satin Box - Phebalium s...

What's the opinion of you guys regarding Gidgee as fingerboard material ? It's superior in wear resistance and stability to conventional choices though it is damned hard to work and fret kerfs need to be widened or it just bends the board . I've made a good many and always sold a trickle of them . T...

Queensland Walnut does have good tone and potentially awesome colour . It does have a couple of issues aside from its sustainability being itself in question . Firstly the logs can be so full of silica as to be un mill able . Many were simply discarded to burn piles at the sawmill after ruining blad...

The Rosewood ban has certainly got the manufacturers thinking fast , I've been fielding calls for alternative species . True enough Bob , my. Blackwood sales have increased . It's the opposite effect on pricing with me though , when the volume goes up , I lower my prices ! Next in line is surely the...

The other thing I'd add is to practice first . Get your bandsaw cutting absolutely perfect . My test for sharpness is to put my thumb to a tooth , it wants to feel almost like a fish hook , like it wants to cut you . Nearly sharp is just not good enough with bandsaws , you might get away with it on ...

I go the other way . First I dock the boards as close to component sides as possible , both in length and width . Then I buzz one face flat . Then I go across the resaw against a long , straight fence . Whilst I agree you're going to bend the boards ( even backs to some degree ) anyways , of course ...

Well now I'm just stuck on the poetry of that .
With all the fancy new processes like torrefication I'll go with my timber being soaked in beer for 50 years any day . Who's to say , it may well match the player !
Pete
Curly timbers

Lovely work Kim . Indeed that tree did come from west of Bourke . It was salvaged from trees pushed for a new fence line . Gidgee really is a special timber , that log showed no real inkling of figure and yet its polished out to a beautiful sparkly shimmer . Good luck with the next one . Now that re...

G'day all
For those interested I've just added a heap more stock up onto eBay .
I've had a bit of a splash of putting some really nice stuff up , or I reckon so anyways .
All the best
Pete
Curly timbers

To be sure I've got awesome bookmatched ringed Gidgee inch boards . It's power carvers and files / rifflers to shape it down though , chisels are near on to completely useless against Gidg . Metal work tools work it beautifully!
Pete
Curly timbers

G'day all , The last little while I've been puddling around listing a bit of stock on eBay . I didn't go in with the highest of expectations to be sure but it would appear to be working . So far . I'm listing all manner of timbers but the focus will be on rare , figured and luthierie related primari...

There is a single stem Huon in the upper Gordon that has been core sampled and counted to 3500 years . The mount read stand go back over 10000 but that's a large clonal stand that's reproduced by layering , they are all one tree. Dendrochronological sequencing gets back the ten thousand years , beyo...

I for one raised a glass of neat whisky to the passing of Guy . 'Words to live by ' is a quote from himself and that's what he gave us . A personal favourite is ' sometimes I use my head and sometimes I get a bigger hammer ' A friends baby was born the day he passed and I suppose that's how this fun...

That looks beaut Strato .
Another great contribution to luthierie !
Pete
Curly timbers

At a quick glance I'd say Bubinga or African rosewood . Colour suits , it's often figured like the sample though perhaps the pores are at the top of what you'd expect for size the the eccentric distribution is consistent . Another possibility would be one of the pterocarpus , such as andaman paduak ...

All the best with what comes next Jez . I am continuing with my wholesale focused business as ever , servicing the manufacturers , schools and other retailers . It is indeed a shame . Jeremy provided a great service in presenting individual sets to the public and shipping in great short timing . For...

Port fairy sounds like the world of fun , last I was there 5 or 6 years back it sure was . Lost trades was an awesome show with a bit of an instrument makers stand of its own. Highlight for me there was getting to sit at the side of legendary bowed instrument maker Kevin Williams . The guy is my ide...

G'day all ,
For Victoria based folks or those with the inclination to drive I'll be at the Kyneton lost trades fair this weekend . It's an awesome showcase of old world trades , luthierie included .
Pete
Curly timbers

G'day Rod Nice blackwood ! I'd reckon the raised fiddleback would be a good chance at being hidden . In figured timbers , particularly dark ones the flaw disappears into the General busyness . Best way to close it I reckon is to really focus the pressure with a hard , bright edged caul clamped hard ...