Need help with my bracing - yellow colored Sitka??

[jared1177]

Hey guys. I'm working on build #3. I ordered some sitka bracing from a reputable shop.
Upon glueing the strips in place and began carving them, I noticed that brace number 2, 3, 4 and the center strips are very yellow in color and have a distinct smell. Brace #1 is white/tan in color and smells, carves, and sands like Sitka, however the others have a whole different feel to them when working them. Brace shavings come off yellow in color and when sanding it produces yellowish dust. I've never experienced this before with Sitka.
But what throws me off is that the grain looks just like that of Sitka. The wood doesn't smell like cedar nor cypress, so I'm trying to figure out what wood it is i have. I can't really describe the smell it is... kinda foul smelling, not so pleasant. It's not super bad though, but wondering how its going to smell inside once the box is put together.
The wood did seem stiff.
Anybody have any clue as to what it could be and why the wood smells the way it does and if its different than Sitka or not? Also if possibly I received a bad batch.
May be hard to see the color in the pics. But try and compared all the bracings compared to the top 1st brace which is lighter in color. The others are more yellowy.

[runamuck]

Alaskan Yellow Cedar doesn't smell like other Cedars although it's in the ballpark of Port Orford Cedar. That's what your description brought to my mind.

On my computer there is very little difference in color between the braces.

Jim McCarthy

[ZekeM]

Maybe a squirrel urinated on that particular tree....

[Bruce Sexauer]

I have used many different bracewoods for backs, and as long as the structure you seek is there it won't matter much. I assume you know what pine smells like? Sitka has an enormous range of colors from brown through yellow and into pink. White is actually sort of unusual in Sitka, as compared to other spruces.

[jared1177]

If looking at the second pic, and glancing from the 1st brace to the 2nd brace you can see the color change.
It's definately not Port Orford Cedar as I've worked with that before. POC smells extremely sweet and pleasant... this bracing does not smell pleasant. Almost like body odor or a fart... seriously.
But, it is stiff and seems to be ok. I just thought I'd throw this situation out to some of you who are more expert in all this and see if I could find some answers.
I prefer nice smelling guitars instead of stinky ones.

[harvl]

sounds like my first experience with yellow cedar years ago... everything says spruce but the color and the smell is off... I originally thought it was spruce that had rotted... didn't figure it out until years later when I bought some yellow cedar... that is my guess. But it should work just fine for bracing the guitars I built with it are still out there going strong.

Harv

[jared1177]

Originally Posted by harvl

sounds like my first experience with yellow cedar years ago... everything says spruce but the color and the smell is off... I originally thought it was spruce that had rotted... didn't figure it out until years later when I bought some yellow cedar... that is my guess. But it should work just fine for bracing the guitars I built with it are still out there going strong.

Harv

My thoughts as well, thinking it may have been rotten. I will read up more on yellow cedar as I have never worked with that before.

[Don Musser]

I don't know if subalpine fir is up around the areas where Sitka is harvested - but when I was purchasing Englemann logs from Colorado sawmills I ran into and bought a few logs of that tree.
The sawmill guys call it "piss fir" because of the odor - it smells like horse piss.
Good stiff wood and it also has a slight yellow coloration. Here is a link :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subalpine_fir

[jared1177]

Originally Posted by Don Musser

I don't know if subalpine fir is up around the areas where Sitka is harvested - but when I was purchasing Englemann logs from Colorado sawmills I ran into and bought a few logs of that tree.
The sawmill guys call it "piss fir" because of the odor - it smells like horse piss.
Good stiff wood and it also has a slight yellow coloration. Here is a link :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subalpine_fir

Interesting. I can't really describe if it smells like pee or poo. I just know it stinks and I've never came across this type odor before working with wood.

[dkwvt]

Similar to Don's experience, here in the northeast we have a generic "cat spruce". I have never used it for building guitars but it pops up somewhat regularly in spruce framing lumber, yellowish color and distinct urine smell. I can't say for sure but a friend of mine in the wood business says it is just an unusual chemistry with the tannins in the wood contributing to the odor of urea...

[jared1177]

In the second pic I was tapering down the ends of the 3rd and 4th braces. You can see the wood chips in the pic... these chips felt more "crispy" than that of sitka. Chiseling sitka goes quite well with my chisels, but this wood was quite hard to chisel through, chisels just didn't glide through as smoothly.

[Don Musser]

Here is a picture of a subalpine fir top :

[IMG][/IMG]


I had some guitar builders visit me when I lived in Colorado and they took density and stiffness measurements of different top woods - Blue Spruce , Englemann, and this subalpine fir. This wood was the most stiff and the least dense of the three. I have yet to build a guitar from it.....

[jared1177]

Originally Posted by Don Musser

Here is a picture of a subalpine fir top :

[IMG][/IMG]


I had some guitar builders visit me when I lived in Colorado and they took density and stiffness measurements of different top woods - Blue Spruce , Englemann, and this subalpine fir. This wood was the most stiff and the least dense of the three. I have yet to build a guitar from it.....

Seems to have a nice aged look to it... a bit vintagey.