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Walnut Project
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=49093		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Walnut Project
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.
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
The clients grandfather grew this tree from a single walnut some 70 years ago.
Author:  giltzow [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 8:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
Hey Mike
Very cool. I love walnut and sawing your own back and sides from a tree with a story is great. - Mike G
Author:  johnparchem [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 8:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
cool to able to create a guitar that you can trace it province to a nut! Nice resawing.
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
Michael G, have u ever bent walnut? I suspect good temperature is 240 ish. Do u know?
Author:  meddlingfool [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
We do 240 for the waist, 280 for the bouts, cook off at 280-300...

Nice slab, I'm jealous!
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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.
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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.
Author:  Colin North [ Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
Nice one Mike. Looks like a good bt of Kit.
Author:  George L [ Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Mon Mar 06, 2017 11:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
I've done several with walnut. Easy to bend, works great, looks great.
Author:  Quine [ Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
Pretty nice looking wood. I bet that smelled nice while cutting....one of the nice benefits of using walnut
Author:  giltzow [ Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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
Author:  bcombs510 [ Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
Pretty set and what a great story for the owner. Can't wait to see it.
Author:  Michael.N. [ Tue Mar 07, 2017 4:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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.
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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.
Author:  jfmckenna [ Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Thu Mar 16, 2017 5:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Walnut Project
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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