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tree to guitar wood
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Author:  coach [ Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:52 pm ]
Post subject:  tree to guitar wood
Hello all,

Unfortunately, I have to have a tree removed that is leaning over my house. I'm really concerned about this tree, because it's about 3' in diameter, very tall, and leaning in the direction of two of my daughter's bedrooms. Anyway, it's a Chestnut Oak tree, and looks like a good specimen for guitars. I've heard of guys using oak for back and sides, and I've seen a few also. I'd like to keep some of it for guitar wood, but am clueless about how to store it, dry it, or even how big to cut the billets, since I know it must shrink some after drying.

Any advice on how to go about cutting some of this tree for guitar wood will be appreciated as always.

Thanks in advance.

Sean
Author:  Nils [ Mon Jul 16, 2012 11:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: tree to guitar wood
Handling logs that size can be quite a task...I think I'd suggest finding a sawer and have him quarter saw as much of it as possible, unless you're only looking to get a couple sets. If you are looking to get only a couple sets, then I'd suggest cutting logs to the length you're looking for, split them with a wedge, and then take them to your band saw. To avoid cracking of the wood, you should cut your boards off the logs right away, and then dip the ends in wax, or paint them.
Author:  Otterhound [ Tue Jul 17, 2012 5:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: tree to guitar wood
Here we go again . [:Y:]
How straight is the tree and does the trunk have any twist to it are 2 questions that must be asked up front .
Chestnut oak is in the White oak family . It will likely have some nice flaking once cut . I harvested one of these last year after a storm took it down .
I do 5/4 when cutting .
Prepare a level place to store the wood . It will need to be stickered and stacked .
I use fans to keep air moving through the stack for at least 3 weeks in order to keep mold in check . Once below 25% , mold is less likely .
End grain should be sealed ASAP after cutting . Paint , wax , shellac and commercial sealers work fine . I use Rockler green wood end grain sealer .
The last ingredient is patience .
Author:  jfmckenna [ Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: tree to guitar wood
I've made electric guitars out of white oak. Also made some furniture too. We have an old crumbled down barn that was built with it. It's really quite beautiful. Good luck and post pics [:Y:]
Author:  cphanna [ Wed Jul 18, 2012 1:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: tree to guitar wood
Of course, you won't know if the tree has sections suitable for tonewood until you've cut it. If it were mine, I'd be tempted to have it sawn into furniture-sized blanks (longer than tonewood blanks) and I'd try to have as much of it quarter sawn as possible. Then I'd examine it for tonewood potential--setting aside those pieces for sawing into smaller blanks. I'd stash all the rest for other projects. Even if there's a fair amount of twist and runout, you're likely to get quite a stash of 8' boards. Study up on good wood drying and storage procedures. There's lot of info available on the web. This'll take some time and some space, but could be a nice "save."
Best of luck with it!
Patrick
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