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I'm about to start my first acoustic build. I've been playing guitar for a long time and woodworking for long time, but haven't put the two together until now.

It's going to based off the standard martin dreadnaught. I'm doing a 28ft soundboard and a 25ft back and am close to having the dishes made.

I have the wood for my soundboard coming. I stumbled upon a guy who dragged up a couple of old growth (600yrs+) Western Red Cedar logs from the oregon coast where they have been sitting for 100 years. Over 30 rings per inch. Getting a real good deal on em too.

I'm trying to decide on the wood for the back and sides and could use some help. I was all prepared to go with a spruce top and an indian rosewood back, but the OG cedar falling into my lap changed everything. Anyone have any suggestions on the killer wood to pair with OG cedar? I can get some higly figured black walnut from the same guy, but I don't really know much about black walnut as a tonewood, and I haven't been able to find much by searching.

Any help or thoughts will be appreciated.

Black walnut is an excellent tonewood and generally walnut is one of the easiest woods to bend. Highly figured wood of any type is generally more difficult to bend.

If you are price sensitive the walnut or Indian Rosewood would be great with a cedar top. Another recommendation that I have built prior is Honduran Rosewood and WRC with koa bindings.

Congrats on getting started on your first build!

AND...welcome to the OLF!

Black walnut is a very nice tonewood. For your first, it's hard to beat the workability and tone of Indian Rosewood. Bends like butter and it's dark so errors are easy to hide using CA and sawdust...

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Make sure you show us your progress via pictures.

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Thanks for the replies and the welcome.

I'm not concerned about doing this on the cheap. My only reason for mentiong the black walnut is that I know I can get some. My first choice is actually Pao Ferro but I haven't found a decent source for it.

Any thoughts on the submerged og cedar? Any idea how it differs from your normal run of the mill cedar? I'm trying to figure out how thick to have it thicknessed. I know that regualr western red needs to be a bit thicker than spruce, but is that true for this submerged OG stuff? Anything else I need to consider?

Have you thought about selling some billets? 'Course with you down under, shipping costs would be high. Maybe just float some on the pond with addresses attached?

Let me know,

Mike

I wish... I only got a teensy tiny piece of the log.

Here's one of em after being dragged in and sectioned:

(and I'm not down under... I'm in Chicago )

Oregon Myrtle is an excellent tonewood and you can find it pretty easy that has high figure too. Walnut is a good choice also.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Welcome, windy city guy!

Whether you use the figured Walnut for this first build or not, if it is available to you right now, if it is properly sawn as luthier wood (quartersawn to slightly rift sides, and backs that are at least quartersawn on the edge that will be the center seam), if it is aesthetically pleasing, and if you have the funds - grab it! Tonewood appreciates in value (at least that what I keep telling my wife.)

Walnut would look great with Cedar.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Sorry 'bout that. Got you mixed up with someone else.

Mike

Just for curiosity sake. Why such a flat back? 25' is not much of a dome for a back.

I can't see a good reason to use radii that are so close. The difference in the dome height between the 25 ft and 28 ft radius across 20" is only about .025".

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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No particular reason I guess... I was told at mimf that 28 and 25 were what Martin uses for their dreads.

I posted there before I found this place. That place is snail slow though... if that's not correct, someone PLEASE tell me what they (Martin) really use.

I believe you will find the back of a modern Martin's are 15 foot radius.

Actually I think I remember John Hall saying that the Martin dread's are 25' radius on the backs.

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I wanna piece... Please!

Mike

I was under the impression that Martins were 16' back and 28' tops.... the backs may be 15 though.

I use 16 and 28 on all of my guitars except for the performance hybrid.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Hi,

I'm curious about how you're going about making the dishes for your arched plates. I'm working on my first acoustic project from an LMI kit and I don't really want to spend another $150+ buying their hollow boards for forms.

How are you making the dishes? How accurate do the curves actually need to be?

Thanks for any info on this process.

/mark

There are several post in the archive on this, but in general you cut a 24" round dish out of 3/4 MDF, then make a fixture that your router will follow and rout the dome. I have plans for one such fixture in The Library of Plans at the top of each page here on the forum. The funds for purchasing the plans go to support the forum.

You want to be sure and seal the dome with shellac when finished. Also a couple of our member vendors sell them for less than you may think Check out both Luthier Suppliers and Blues Creek for great deals on many luthier tools and jigs.

A real classic combination with Cedar is, as Todd says, Mahogany, but a maple B&S compliments the cedar not just tonally but visually as well. I find that a Roewwod/cedar combination a bit on the muddy side.

Colin

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Any thoughts on the eastern black walnut?

I actually scored a nice sized hunk of highly figured stuff the other night.

Yum! And, if is was not steamed, DOUBLE yum!

Is it well quartersawn? Post some pics - make us drool!

By the way, if you can find some 5/4 or 6/4 that is 8" wide and well flatsawn, run back and grab that! About 26" long makes a great laminated neck. Grab a couple for me while you're rooting through the pile. If it is 4/4, grab that too - you'll just need an additional 3/4" center board (or laminations) to get the blank to the correct thickness.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

I wish it were that easy. My contact is in washington state and I'm in chicago. A friend of mine in Seattle picks it up and is gonna resaw it and thickness sand it and then finally ship it to me. I do have some pics though that have my mind racing with what I'm gonna do with the stuff.


Here's the sinker cedar...


Here's the figured black walnut. (this is a slab, my stuff is supposed to be from the same log)

Well Bob, based on the whiteness of the sapwood on the Walnut, it was not steamed. It's mighty pretty! Are you sure that's Eastern (American Black Walnut)? It does not look like Claro, but kinda has the look of some of the "Oregon Walnut" I have seen. It does look like Black Walnut, but when you mention Seattle, it just makes me wonder. You were wise to grab some of that when you could.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Hey Bob, I live just outside of Seattle. If you want, I'll take a couple of sets, build with them and then get back to you. I wouldn't want you to spend all that money on wood and shipping to find out that you don't like the stuff.

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Aoibeann