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 Post subject: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:52 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Guess my resaw skills are getting better. I had another wonky slab 45" long, 25" wide. Live edges. About 1" thick. I found enough useful wood to make back and side billets 0.8" thick. Set my laguna tall fence, estimated kerf and got two sets out of it!! Made a two neck blank too.


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These users thanked the author Mike OMelia for the post: Braedyn (Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:22 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:55 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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The clients grandfather grew this tree from a single walnut some 70 years ago.



These users thanked the author Mike OMelia for the post: Pmaj7 (Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:22 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 8:13 pm 
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First name: Michael
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Hey Mike
Very cool. I love walnut and sawing your own back and sides from a tree with a story is great. - Mike G

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These users thanked the author giltzow for the post: Mike OMelia (Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:00 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 8:33 pm 
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cool to able to create a guitar that you can trace it province to a nut! Nice resawing.

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These users thanked the author johnparchem for the post: Mike OMelia (Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:00 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:01 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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First name: Mike
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Michael G, have u ever bent walnut? I suspect good temperature is 240 ish. Do u know?


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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:52 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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We do 240 for the waist, 280 for the bouts, cook off at 280-300...

Nice slab, I'm jealous!



These users thanked the author meddlingfool for the post: Mike OMelia (Sun Mar 05, 2017 11:11 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:53 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Thanks! But to be honest, I had no idea it would work that well. Just dumb luck. And, kudos to my 1.25" Resaw King blade. That thing may not be a production shop work horse, but it has worked great for me in my small shop. 0.047 kerf helped me make 3 clean cuts in a 0.8" board. Minimal sanding to thickness. But it did scare me making those cuts. No room for error.


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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:58 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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First name: Mike
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By the way, that's the Laguna Driftmaster fence. First time using the 8" fence. I bought the tall fence accessory several years ago. Great for tall cuts. And yes, I'm not using it as it was designed to be used. I still prefer cutting up against the fence.


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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:08 am 
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Nice one Mike. Looks like a good bt of Kit.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.


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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:28 am 
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First name: George
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Yeah, nice job. I've only bent walnut twice, but both times it went very smoothly. I've made a couple of necks with it as well. I like walnut ... a lot.

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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 11:12 am 
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I've done several with walnut. Easy to bend, works great, looks great.

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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:14 pm 
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Pretty nice looking wood. I bet that smelled nice while cutting....one of the nice benefits of using walnut



These users thanked the author Quine for the post: Mike OMelia (Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:09 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:20 pm 
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First name: Michael
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Mike O'Melia wrote:
Michael G, have u ever bent walnut? I suspect good temperature is 240 ish. Do u know?


Hi Mike

Yes I have. Walnut does bend fairly easily. Fox bender - I bend with a sandwich (bottom to top) of spring steel/ walnut/spring steel/ bending blanket. I put my kitchen thermometer between the top spring steel and the blanket. I start the bend at 260 F(bringing the waist down to bottom and then back off 1 turn) and let it continue up to 300 F, as I bend upper then lower bouts then turn the waist back down the 1 turn. Let it stay around 290 to 305 F for another 10 minutes. Let it cool to room temp and then back up to 290 to 305 for another 15 minutes. I am using a temperature controller I built with help from this forum - but continue with the meat thermometer for a check of what the temp controller is doing. This has been my routine for the last 11 years but lately I have added another cycle of - let it cool again and then reheat. Seams to work a little better to keep spring back to a minimum.
I am thinning the sides to 0.080 to 0.085". If a cutaway more thinning of the cutaway area to 0.070 to 0.075".
Let us see what you build - Mike G

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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:32 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Pretty set and what a great story for the owner. Can't wait to see it.

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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 4:33 am 
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Koa
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Walnut and maple. Virtually all that I've used for the last few years. I bend around a pipe and walnut is one of the easier woods to bend.
Dependent on the particular piece i sometimes add a touch of red to the varnish, just to add a bit of warmth. Some walnut has such good colour that it's best left as is.


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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:48 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Andy Birko warned me to get it right when I bonded the neck chunks. I think I did. And I think he did a great job.


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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:24 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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I love walnut in every way possible. Easy to work with, looks great and makes a great sounding instrument. It's just hard on certain shrubs around the roots of the tree ;)

Twos sets out of a .8in billet is pretty darn good if you ask me. It's nice to work with a 1in billet and cut on the inside of the 1/4in mark to get two sets nice and easy. FWIW here's a little trick I do to keep the base of the cut flush to the fence. I always seem to have problems at the base of the cut. Pushing against the top of the fence keeps the whole thing aligned.

Image


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 Post subject: Re: Walnut Project
PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 5:37 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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First name: Mike
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That is an interesting setup. Kind of like those magnetic fingers. I was really fortunate that it worked out. But, I would have preferred a bit more wiggle room!


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