Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

That's cheap Allan , You want to see what my 1919 copy of hardwoods of Australia is worth ! Good guides regularly run into the hundreds . Having met Morris on occasion and knowing his background there should be some pretty solid technical data along with the botanical specifics that are available in...

That'd be me hooked !
Pete

Makes me think of the old saying ' Sometimes I use my head and sometimes I get a bigger hammer "
One of my favourites , think I lifted it from a Guy Clarke song .
Pete

I haven't really got into the tracking adjustment yet Steve . I expect the fine adjustment is governed by a double nut on the little pneumatic ram that tilts the top roller back and forth . At this stage it's just not firing . Unfortunately I won't get much time to get in amongst the sander for the ...

Thanks for the prompts fellas. Danny from Des Elliots doesn't travel it seems Alan . I reckon your reasoning is really sound Trevor . Thinking about it , I'd be fairly certain of how the damage happened . I gave the machine a really good blow out with the air duster to get it freshened up , that wou...

I've bought in a new sander for Curly timbers . A SCM 900 wide belt sander , a sandya 1k to be specific . I put it through it's paces at the sellers factory , all good . Some funny business with switches but all working , some minor damage to the plattern where a bit of timber must have shattered . ...

The biggest Gidgee I have processed was a metre diameter by the tape in the butt log . It was pretty fluted and had the obligatory hole up the guts . Nonetheless it could have milled 400 wide on the quarter . 600 diameter logs are not so rare though the bigger trees tend to be much more faulty . For...

Couldn't agree more , I largely learnt the musical timber trade from Chris .
Pete

Sounds like you've got it well covered there Bob . I agree with not resawing from green in Myrtle , it's fairly volatile in drying . Other thing I'd add is don't retard the drying too far though . Tiger is fungal and whilst the timber is wet the mushrooms alive .
Chris Searle stuff ?
Pete

G'day Alan , Gidgee is consistently heavier than Myall so cubing it out and weighing is an option . Gidg (A.cambagei) averages 1250 kg/cu often more , Myall (A. pendula ) averages 1100 though I've handled stuff under a ton . Both have a sort of sweet nutty aroma , myall is a bit more violet smelling...

For the uninitiated an 090 is the largest capacity production chainsaw ever made . They have no chainbrake so when it's running the blade is spinning ! Imagine holding onto the weapon with a 4 ft bar walking across log slash and copping a jolt every time the coil fires , very not fun . Nearly as bad...

Geez Steve , That's a lot of questions together in one place . First thing I'd advise is don't resaw too far ahead . Timber can readily be made smaller but cant be made bigger again . If you have a lifetime of stock how could you possibly make a lifetime of judgements so quickly . Plan a few project...

Gday Kim , I've milled and dried a fair bit of ancient Red Gum . I'd be first to say that whilst it can polish out to the most beautiful silver black and we all love the story , it is also a complete prick to mill and dry (and work ). The essential structure of the timber is at least part way conver...

Moisture control would be even more important in an archtop me reckons . The thicker the timber , the more generative stress it can produce . Other thing is just because the humidity takes a dive , it doesn't mean the timber will respond immediately . It'll take a while to equalise , some timbers mo...

Much thanks for the links . For those with an interest in timber anatomy and the effects heat treatment there is some great info to be had . Particularly recommended is the Eiichi Obayata article in the last link provided . It explains the chemical structural changes well though I find much there th...

A question for Printer2 ; Please don't take this as a dig . It's not . You say " Old wood loses hemicelluloses on it's own but you need decades before you have a noticeable change " Where is that change referenced from ? The data behind that would be fantastic to explore > It's a real area of intere...

The process of ageing in timber is mysterious , I haven't seen a single study in all my trawling that can quantify the mechanism by which it happens ( any leads out there ?) . The lack of data is understandable as the samples would need to be analysed across such a long period of time . One thing th...

That ebay seller did indeed buy a couple of pallets of mixed ungraded stock from the liquidation of Big Sky Timber , a company I used to work for . I need to clarify that it was not bought from myself personally . I grade my stock . I'd proceed with caution there as a LOT of went out was not musical...

Hmmm , now I better tread carefully here . This "Scandinavian Redwood " I've seen about from a Melbourne ebayer is leaving me with some serious doubts . What pray tell is Scandinavian Redwood , genus , species ? I'll guarantee those faces are not Pinus sylvestris and it only gets less likely from th...

That looks a good possible match , I have never handled a weeping willow . The willows that show up locally , usually in woody weed removal programs are pussy and crack . Yes you read that correctly , it's pussy willow or crack willow . The timber of both is white through into browny grey . Thinking...

I agree with Marcus , foliage and fruit really help . From the weathered outside of your log it appears those would be long gone . Firstly its not Agonis flexuosa , Native willow Myrtle . It's very much heavier . It could well be a Salix willow . They fit the bill for weight and strength , only thin...

Good to see Macro getting a bit of love ,
I've milled a heap for back and sides , haven't sold too many though . Ive taken to sending them out as packers for other sets !
Pete

My favourite Brace wood is Silver Quandong . Eleocarpus grandis . Though it is botanically a hardwood (angiosperm ) good old growth stuff weighs in under 400kg a cube so its well in the target density , tap tone is lovely and the moe is good too . It is completely awesome to carve as it doesn't have...

The blonde Eucalypts are famously hard to identify , after all there's literally hundreds of them . Without any science to back it there's a few species that readily come to mind . Shining gum E. nitens certainly can have the goldey heart and wide sap of the sample though I'd expect more prominent g...

Gday Allen ,
Bring it across some time , I'll have a stab at an ID . Lets just say it's not FIR ! Abies or Pseudotsuga . It's not conifer , the pore structure looks Eucalypt , would need a closer look .
Pete