King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

A place where you can let us see your finished instruments in all their glory.

Moderators: kiwigeo, Jeremy D

Post Reply
kpcart
Myrtle
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:12 pm

King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by kpcart » Sat Aug 10, 2019 9:53 pm

Built in 2017 for a family member.
IMG_20190810_185326.jpg
IMG_20190810_185344.jpg
IMG_20190810_185344.jpg (162.64 KiB) Viewed 29315 times
IMG_20190810_185400.jpg
IMG_20190810_185412.jpg
IMG_20190810_185604.jpg

User avatar
demonx
Blackwood
Posts: 1395
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 6:55 pm
Location: Ballarat Victoria
Contact:

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by demonx » Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:07 am

That looks like a lovely guitar, great work, well done!

User avatar
Mark McLean
Blackwood
Posts: 1084
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:03 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by Mark McLean » Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:07 pm

So now I understand why it is called Qld walnut - it looks just like walnut, which is one of my favourite guitar timbers. That instrument looks great! How is it to work with? It is nice to see indigenous timbers pairing up so well.

kpcart
Myrtle
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:12 pm

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by kpcart » Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:47 pm

Queensland walnut is simple, and bends nice and easy, pretty decent taptone, but not as good as rosewood. Has a nice ribbon effect, grain changes colour when viewed from different angles.

User avatar
lamanoditrento
Blackwood
Posts: 585
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 9:50 am

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by lamanoditrento » Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:20 am

Very nice! Think I will look out for some QLD walnut
Trent

merandgra@gmail.com
Gidgee
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 12:21 pm

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by merandgra@gmail.com » Thu Apr 30, 2020 4:14 pm

Hi. What method did you use to bend the sides. I have tried a couple of sets with no luck

User avatar
peter.coombe
Blackwood
Posts: 723
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 2:52 pm
Location: Bega, NSW
Contact:

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by peter.coombe » Fri May 01, 2020 10:00 am

That does not surprise me. I have used it a bit in mandolins and some Qld Walnut is almost impossible to bend without breaking. Can be extremely frustrating. Other pieces bend easily, so it is highly variable in terms of how it bends. I ended up picking a piece that bent easily and cut the entire piece into mandolin sides and have been using those for sides when I occasionally use Qld Walnut. Still have some left.
Peter Coombe - mandolin, mandola and guitar maker
http://www.petercoombe.com

mooshalah
Myrtle
Posts: 92
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:08 am
Location: Emerald, Victoria

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by mooshalah » Fri May 01, 2020 11:52 pm

A quick comment about working with Queensland Walnut;

I've made a classical and parlour guitar, and a ukulele, using this wood. It has a pleasing - if not somewhat bland - grain and appearance, and finishes very well. It's clearly a good choice as a tone-wood. I've not had a problem bending it.

The biggest issue both from my experience, and having been told this by people who've cut it for me (I don't have a big enough band-saw to cut slices for backs and sides) is that the wood is infused with silica, and that it very quickly blunts band-saw and other blades - so much so that they've refused too cut any more for me! Indeed, when working with the wood, and in trying to plane it, it has quickly blunted the blades.

I don't know whether this matter of incorporation of silica is a characteristic of the species, whether this only occurs if the trees grow in particularly silicaceous soils or indeed , whether this was just a set of boards from a particular tree, that I'd bought from Mathews Timbers. Certainly, the people who cut it for me had experienced this issue before, and were wary of it.

Frank.

mooshalah
Myrtle
Posts: 92
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:08 am
Location: Emerald, Victoria

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by mooshalah » Sat May 02, 2020 12:22 am

A quick addition to my post with regard to Queensland Walnut:

Here's a picture of the parlour guitar I mentioned I'd made. It's not quite illustrating the visual properties of the wood - I can't seem to find a photograph that I might have taken, better showing the back and sides - but you can sort-of see the colour and appearance.

Frank.
Attachments
Walnut parlour guitar.jpg

User avatar
peter.coombe
Blackwood
Posts: 723
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 2:52 pm
Location: Bega, NSW
Contact:

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by peter.coombe » Sun May 03, 2020 8:53 am

Silica in Queensland Walnut is normal, happens in every piece. It is a pain to cut because it wrecks bandsaw blades in no time. I usually use a blade that is already on the way out because it will be well blunt by the time I finish. The smell is also quite strong when you cut it, and some people (e.g. my other half) can't stand the smell. It smells a bit like rotting flesh. I got used to the smell so it does not bother me. I mostly stopped using it because of the silica problem, but it is quite a nice tonewood. I still have quite a few pieces left and occasionally still use it. If I was to make a guitar with it I would get someone else resaw it! Mandolin sizes are bad enough.
Peter Coombe - mandolin, mandola and guitar maker
http://www.petercoombe.com

kpcart
Myrtle
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:12 pm

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by kpcart » Thu May 07, 2020 10:32 pm

merandgra@gmail.com wrote:
Thu Apr 30, 2020 4:14 pm
Hi. What method did you use to bend the sides. I have tried a couple of sets with no luck
on a Chinese ebay purchased heating bender, no water, just wood straight on it, bent really easy on the 2 guitars I built with it. didn't have any problem with silica like others say, but mine were quite thin well quartered sets from Curly timbers, so didn't need to much thicknessing or cutting.

User avatar
Bob_H
Blackwood
Posts: 156
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2020 2:27 pm
Location: Lyndoch, South Australia

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by Bob_H » Tue May 12, 2020 5:25 pm

kpcart wrote:
Thu May 07, 2020 10:32 pm
on a Chinese ebay purchased heating bender,
Hi - do you have a link to the seller? I have been looking at these - you're happy with it?
Bob Holbert
Lyndoch

kpcart
Myrtle
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:12 pm

Re: King Billy Pine/ Queensland walnut classical

Post by kpcart » Tue May 19, 2020 8:58 pm

Bob_H wrote:
Tue May 12, 2020 5:25 pm
kpcart wrote:
Thu May 07, 2020 10:32 pm
on a Chinese ebay purchased heating bender,
Hi - do you have a link to the seller? I have been looking at these - you're happy with it?
no I bought it on ebay from china, there are heaps of bending irons on there, I think mine was sold as a violin one but works for guitar sides too, as the iron is big enough. I bought plug adaptor for $5 too to connect to Australian power socket. they are about $100 if I remember

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests