building/lumber purchasing questions

[PiousDevil]

I'm trying to get into guitar building as a hobby, and I'll have many questions during the process, so I thought I'd make a thread where I can ask them as they come up and hopefully get some responses.


First question:

In regards to sitka spruce, will mast and spar grade quartersawn lumber be appropriate for resawing into soundboard blanks?

[Steve Kinnaird]

Short answer--a cautious "yes".
You will want to shop critically, and buy judiciously. Study the boards closely, with an eye for runout.
I have done it, as others have as well. Happy hunting!

Steve

[redir]

I've thought a lot about this too. The boat builders may not take into consideration runout like musical instrument suppliers would but even a little runout is okay. I'd be interested to hear what others say because if you have a good resaw you could save a lot on cutting your own.

[Mark Hatcher]

Sure! Try to think of your first couple guitars as a way to prime your
workshop. Don't put much money or thought into the woods for your first Frankentars!

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

I'm trying to get into guitar building as a hobby, and I'll have many questions during the process, so I thought I'd make a thread where I can ask them as they come up and hopefully get some responses.


First question:

In regards to sitka spruce, will mast and spar grade quartersawn lumber be appropriate for resawing into soundboard blanks?

Why not? I do it, it's more affordable, and you can find aome really nice stuff. You want to be able to read the grain to ensure you get a board with good quartered cut and very little to no run out.

[PiousDevil]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

Why not? I do it, it's more affordable, and you can find aome really nice stuff. You want to be able to read the grain to ensure you get a board with good quartered cut and very little to no run out.

I imagine the grain reading you reference will come with experience, but I'm basically looking for a good straight, consistent grain that runs the length of the potential blanks (~20" for tops) without veering off the edge (~8" wide for steel string blanks). I will be able to use the waste to cut the braces from, I assume?

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

I imagine the grain reading you reference will come with experience, but I'm basically looking for a good straight, consistent grain that runs the length of the potential blanks (~20" for tops) without veering off the edge (~8" wide for steel string blanks). I will be able to use the waste to cut the braces from, I assume?

Well it helps if can physically select boards from a lumber yard. Build a rapport with the people at the local yard, and they'll hopefully be more inclined to accomodate your needs....

You should split brace stock to ensure no runout...

[Bruce Sexauer]

I too have bought spar material for guitar parts, though in my case it was for bracing. Sitka guitar tops of very usable quality can be bought for so little that I would think that's the way to go. I'm not sure what the going retail is today, but I doubt I'd have to pay more that $25 for a low AAA when dealing directly with the cutters. That'd be straight grained, negligible run out, consistent ring width change, and no weird coloring, by my standards. That saves you embarrassing judgement errors, resawing, and a lot of time. On the other hand, you don't get to develops the elusive skills you will have farmed out.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

Sure! Try to think of your first couple guitars as a way to prime your
workshop. Don't put much money or thought into the woods for your first Frankentars!

My perspective is quite different from Mark's. I'll repeat advice I have given before: If you expect to be a good builder and have some woodworking experience, don't condemn your first efforts to mediocrity because you didn't spend a little more on good wood. The labor you will put into a guitar is far more valuable than the material, and good quality, but not highly figured or rare woods are available at reasonable prices. I think it is better to use a good top and regret that there are some flaws in your workmanship, than to use a low grade of top (or back and sides) and regret that your first guitar and all the work you put into it were limited by low quality woods. I have seen first guitars from many people that had good workmanship. Plan on success, not failure!

[LouieAtienza]

Well there are two thoughts I have about this. As with Howard, I do believe that if you're going to build a guitar you plan to at least try to make a keeper, it does make sense to use the best materials you can. I guarantee you'll be more conscious of each step if you know the wood is somewhat precious to you, and as Bruce mentions, good grade wood can be had for not much.

On the other hand, practice and due diligence can yield excellent plates from the lumberyard. I've been fortunate to have had the background as a cabinetmaker long before I started to build guitars, so it's been easier for me to pick through boards till I find a good one. Even then there's no guarantees. But if you have the skills to resaw stock, and thickness either by hand or machine, you can get for the price of one set two, three or more sets, depending on the raw stock thickness. The cost is your labor and machinery, but if you have access to machinery, and labor is just hobby, it can save you in the long run. Plus, you'll have multiple sets with similar characteristics, which does help.

Of course, if you want hobby time to be more guitar building, and less time as sawyer, then the answer is pretty obvious...

[LSemmens]

Well said, Howard!

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. In other words, if you only use cheap materials because you might stuff it up, then you are far more likely to do just that, because, "It's only....". Economy is always a priority in my home, but, I'd rather spend twice as much on a "whatever" and find that it lasts me three times as long, than buy the cheapest and nastiest, and the find that it does not perform up to expectations. In guitar building, if you finish your "cheapie" and it does not perform as expected, you'll be constantly second guessing as to whether it was your lack of experience or just cheap wood. Give yourself the best chance of success and use the absolute best that you can afford, take your time, and you may well be pleasantly surprised!

[Bruce Sexauer]

I see no advantage in buying the best materials available, even if they seem affordable at your economic level. I see huge disadvantage in settling for less than adequate materials, any savings are a desperate choice. In other words, the materials should be entirely up to structural standards, but need not be aesthetically premium. Below standard materials will resist normal methods of work, teaching damage control more than contributing to learning the beautiful process that leads to mastery of our form.

Old school AA grade materials are perfectly adequate, but modern supply houses have lowered this standard to include materials that have flaws deeper than merely aesthetic. That's why I recommend low AAA in the modern world.

[PiousDevil]

Anybody got any idea what I should expect to pay for reasonably clean 8/4 16'x9' mast and spar quartersawn sitka?

[printer2]

How about building a first one before you set up a factory?

[MC5C]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

Anybody got any idea what I should expect to pay for reasonably clean 8/4 16'x9' mast and spar quartersawn sitka?

A whole lot more than a few -or even a dozen - guitar sets. I know a person who has to buy two new masts for his schooner, it got de-masted in a storm. T got the impression he is looking at around $25,000 for what he needs. On the other hand I built a pretty nice archtop top from a cedar deck board from Home Depot. Decent builder grade flat top sets are almost free, in comparison to the cost of getting the wood, drying it and resawing it.