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Crotch wood!
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Author:  turmite [ Fri Nov 19, 2010 1:56 am ]
Post subject:  Crotch wood!
Look what I worked on today! I thought about using one set on front and back of same guitar,
But that seems like a waste of some decent crotch walnut! What say ye?

Image

Image

Below is a 1.625" thick piece of cherry cut locally. I have never seen grain like this
in local cherry.

Image

The split down the middle of the board precludes a body, so I have decided
make at least two and possibly three necks from this board. End grain is almost perfect
quater sawn, and thick enough to get an angle head from.

Here is my plan for the best of the necks I get from this. I have a huge slab of Mahogany
from a Mr. Shane Neifer that I want to use then cap with red (flatpod) mesquite for a carve
top. I have designed a "new" Tele-typed body and headstock and want to do it as a carve top.
Currently I am having quite a bit of difficulty with a smooth surface in Rhino or I would show
a screen shot of it. I will get it up in this thread once I am happy with it.

Mike
Author:  Mike Baker [ Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
That certainly is beautiful wood, Mike. I'd love to try cherry for a neck.
Author:  alan stassforth [ Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Dang Turmite,
looks like the one I'm working on came from the same tree!
Author:  turmite [ Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Mike this neck will be my first time to use cherry so I won't be far ahead of you, then again, this is not my next planned build, so you may actually be ahead of me.

Alan, your build is part of the reason I went ahead and began the prep work on these. The crotches were not really wide enough for me to blank them out the way I wanted, but I think these are nice. Question for you. Would you use the pair front and back on one guitar or use them on two?

Mike
Author:  alan stassforth [ Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Two!!
Saves money.
Who cares about the back!
Also, usually the back of an electric isn't a cap.
Double the pleasure!
Ha!
Whatcha makin' there?
Author:  Mike Baker [ Sat Nov 20, 2010 12:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
turmite wrote:
Mike this neck will be my first time to use cherry so I won't be far ahead of you, then again, this is not my next planned build, so you may actually be ahead of me.
Mike

Nah. Working my second build now. The neck wood will be the same as the first, which I was told by the person I got it from was walnut. Turns out it's chestnut. Makes a really stable neck. Got it from an old antique table. Doubt I'll ever be able to find it to use again. But a local wood supplier has maple and cherry, so I'll eventually get around to cherry.
Keep us posted on your builds. If I built faster(takes me roughly a year from start to finish) I'd post build threads here. We need them.
Author:  Stuart Gort [ Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Man.....that stuff is begging to be finished. Once a coat of nitro gets on that people are going to be diving into them and trying to swim.
Author:  alan stassforth [ Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
I'm thinkin' poly.
For mine at least.
Author:  turmite [ Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
I will likely do one as an oil finish, and the other will be automotive urethane clear coat. I hope to start one of these in about a week. My wife and I both have some Dr stuff to take care of this coming week, so the goal is to start no later than a week from Tuesday.

I will do a build thread on it so stay tuned!

Mike
Author:  Robert Dunn [ Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Pretty walnut for sure. I have a cherry floor that is full of boards like that. Look forward to a build thread.
Author:  cphanna [ Wed Nov 24, 2010 8:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Perfect for the top of a solid body instrument--or a fabulous shotgun stock. But if you're ever tempted to resaw it thin and use it on a hollow body flat top, lie down until the feeling passes. I didn't lie down. The feeling didn't pass. The guitar back still looks beautiful, even though there are undulating waves running through it. Oh well...live and learn.
Author:  turmite [ Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
cphanna I actually make rifle stocks and pistol grips as my main business. Some time ago, I changed over from buying stock blanks to lumber and laminate my own blanks. These were scheduled to become a very nice rifle stock until the guitar bug bit!

If I get the urge to resaw down to acoustic thicknesses, I will just ship it to my good friend Shane Neifer here on OLF and have him resaw it. Lot less stress that way! [clap]

I got both tops edge glued this week and will run them through the sander tomorrow or Saturday. I am going to use one of these soon I hope.

Mike
Author:  cphanna [ Sun Nov 28, 2010 8:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Yo, Mike,
You got my drift, but I want to be sure the lurkers get it, too. You could resaw that beautiful crotch to back thickness. So could Shane. So could I. So could a lurker. That's not the problem. The waves only show up several months after the guitar is complete. YIKES! Of course, it doesn't happen all the time. Sometimes they stay flat. No way to predict it as far as I know. Of course, I'll freely admit that I don't know much. In any event, I'm just putting a bug in the ears of all those lurkers out there. Omigosh, walnut crotch is beautiful stuff! You've just got to be careful where you use it.

Mike, I sure would like to see some of those stocks and grips sometime! And it should go without saying that I think you have a super beautiful guitar in the works, too.

Patrick
Author:  turmite [ Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Crotch wood!
Partick I think you are confusing resawing marks " undulating waves" with shrink back of the figured grain in the crotch walnut. This typically happens when the wood is not yet dry enough to be stable . If you resaw, then sand to thickness there should never be any evidence of resawing after that. Now I may be wrong here, but that has been my experience working with figured wood since about 1980. The finish may well be making a contribution to the "waves" as well. It will also draw back into the wood after it has cured for a time. Discovered that on a tightly figured curly maple rifle stock. Had the finish level and like glass! Three months later, it looked like you were on a lake with high winds.

Mike
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