Cedrela faults

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Dave M
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Cedrela faults

Post by Dave M » Mon Dec 04, 2017 4:48 am

I quite often find this sort of discoloration in neck blanks in Cedrela. Close examination shows they are not cracks even though they look like it. It is some sort of discontinuity and a darker colour. Do people think this is a problem with the timber? Is it a weakness or just cosmetic?
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kiwigeo
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Re: Cedrela faults

Post by kiwigeo » Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:22 am

Looks like what is known as a "ring shake". This is where separation occurs along a growth ring. Hard to judge how severe it is from your photos. Ive got a few Queensland maple neck blanks which have a few of these. Ive used a few of the blanks and not had any problems. Curly is one of the wood experts in here so I'm sure he'll be able to enlighten us further.
Martin

Dave M
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Re: Cedrela faults

Post by Dave M » Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:43 am

Thanks Martin

As I said in the post I don't think it is a crack ( the ring shake that you mentioned) It just looks like a discoloration.

I do try to avoid it when building necks if only because it looks like a fault in the final product.

Perhaps you guys don't use Cedrela too much given your choice of alternative woods so don't see it so much, but it seems to occur quite frequently in the samples I acquire
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graham mcdonald
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Re: Cedrela faults

Post by graham mcdonald » Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:49 pm

I have seen similar things in what is being sold here in Australia as Fijian Mahogany, which is supposedly Honduras mahogany plantation grown in Fiji. Planted in the 1940s/50s and now reaching harvesting size. Those marks in your board look very similar and it might be worthwhile enquiring about the origin of your wood.

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Graham McDonald
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com

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Steve.Toscano
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Re: Cedrela faults

Post by Steve.Toscano » Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:17 am

For what its worth, pretty much all the cedrela i've used has these marks in it somewhere and to some extent.
The first neck i made with the stuff has one right down the edge on the treble side going from headstock to heel, this guitar was made in 2011 and is still going strong - no neck warpage that ive noticed.

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