Torrified Spruce Fraying?

[Victory Pete]

I am routing the binding on my latest build which has a Torrified Sitka Spruce top. First thing I noticed once I started building was the sweet smell. Almost like a cookie. After routing I noticed quite a bit of fraying on the end grain. It is stubborn and doesn't want to come off easily. I don't remember this with regular Spruce. The pictures are after I removed most of it.

[redir]

I see that happen with normal spruce pretty regularly too though. A folded up piece of sand paper or a very sharp chisel will take it off. And yeah T-wood does smell like a cookie now that you mention it lol.

[xzy]

I would use a perfectly sharp cutter....and go slow....and see what happens.

[printer2]

As sharp as a cutter and a razor knife/blade. I have tried to do a scraper hook on a razor blade but have only had limited successful.

[yellowesty]

I just completed a build using a torrified spruce soundboard (from Alaska Specialty Woods) and did not experience any unusual behavior. I was using a new router bit when cutting the binding channel and that may account for the clean cuts. (I cut the rosette channels and soundhole over a month ago and don't recall any "fraying," but if there had been, it was minimal and would have been dealt with using folded sandpaper.)

[Victory Pete]

Thanks for the responses. The fraying comes off with my sanding stick. This wood is definitely more "fibrous" than regular Sitka, I never had to do this before and the router bit is still relatively new.

[Victory Pete]

There is definitely something different about Torrified Spruce. Sanding is strange, the fibers roll around, it is as if the Spruce is now soft.

[RoyBoy]

A fresh cutter or hone the existing should help. I wonder if you'd get the same outcome with a climbing cut? (too late now)

Nice bench and router floater! That's also going to be a gorgeous guitar. Fine work!

[Victory Pete]

Originally Posted by RoyBoy

A fresh cutter or hone the existing should help. I wonder if you'd get the same outcome with a climbing cut? (too late now)

Nice bench and router floater! That's also going to be a gorgeous guitar. Fine work!

I wondered about the cutter, that one was used on 4 guitars. Also my binding required more scraping so I was wondering if the cutter was not cutting so deep anymore. I did do the 4 essential climb cuts.

[Victory Pete]

After sanding with 120 and 220, there are some spots that stick out. I am not sure if they are just a different shade or they are low spots.

[buffalohunt]

Originally Posted by Victory Pete

After sanding with 120 and 220, there are some spots that stick out. I am not sure if they are just a different shade or they are low spots.

You should be able to tell fairly easily if it is a low spot with a short straight edge, like a 6" ruler

[Victory Pete]

Originally Posted by buffalohunt

You should be able to tell fairly easily if it is a low spot with a short straight edge, like a 6" ruler

It is way too shallow if it is a low spot to determine it that way. I don't want to keep sanding if it is not a shallow spot.

[yellowesty]

Victory Pete: I don't know if it's relevant, but the torrified top that I purchased from Alaska Specialty Woods is, overall, significantly darker than the top shown in your photos. As a result, when viewed front-on, my top shows a few lighter colored areas while your seems to show some darker ones. (My top does have very significant bear claw.)

On my top, it seems as if chatoyance due to grain runout may be accentuated by torrification, with lighter spots on the left side of the bookmatched soundboard complemented by darker spots on the right side. As expected, lighter areas and darker areas reverse roles when viewed from the neck end vs. the tail end of the instrument.

[Victory Pete]

Originally Posted by yellowesty

Victory Pete: I don't know if it's relevant, but the torrified top that I purchased from Alaska Specialty Woods is, overall, significantly darker than the top shown in your photos. As a result, when viewed front-on, my top shows a few lighter colored areas while your seems to show some darker ones. (My top does have very significant bear claw.)

On my top, it seems as if chatoyance due to grain runout may be accentuated by torrification, with lighter spots on the left side of the bookmatched soundboard complemented by darker spots on the right side. As expected, lighter areas and darker areas reverse roles when viewed from the neck end vs. the tail end of the instrument.

Mine was quite a bit darker before I sanded, which only make sense. I imagine when they baked these the wood darkens on the surface. I was looking for Run Out on this top trying to find the center line, apparently there is none. My last build had some Bear Claw.

[redir]

T-wood is definitely different stuff. I cannot remember who said it now but he was spot on when he said that T-wood feels like driftwood.