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Lumber drying jig

Started by music_boy, October 12, 2003, 06:17:05 PM

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music_boy

I've read where thinner cut lumber wants to twist more when drying. Keeping your cuts to 1" or better reduces this.
A finished thickness on a guitar back is like 9\32 finished. Seems like a waste of good wood to get there from an inch. I will probably be cutting smaller amounts of instrument wood. If I make the cuts 1/2 inch, stack with the spacers, but rig a system of clamps that can put flat tension across and spaced evenly down the stack till it dries, would this eliminate the warp ?
     Or, cut a cant, dry it, and then cut the thinner pieces?
Thanks
It's not how much YOU love, it is how much you ARE loved that matters. (Wizard of OZ)

Tom

Music_Boy,
My Instrument Maker Customer has me saw 9/8ths to 5/4. He dries it in his barn/workshop and then resaws it on a shop bandsaw.  He uses these pieces to bookmatch and then brings the thickness down with a scraper.

That allows him to dry wood thick enough to stand the weight of the stack.

He has worked with 4/4 but prefers it a little thicker.

woodman

I start by painting a big letter V on the end of the log, open cut about six inch, then cut three eights to the middle turn over and start over. The vee lets him put it back togther agin he will take it down to three six teen's when dry.
Jim Cripanuk

Steve

When I know what is coiming off the log is going to be sets I have been milling it into 2 1/8" thicknesses and then resawing inot 8 3/16" thick pices (4 bookmatches). I try to wait till the air dried moisture content in the boards is down to 20% before I resaw. Then it continues to dry on stickers in the shop.
The main thing is milling as close to dead on quarter as possible to keep the wood stable as possible. I"m mostly only familiar with Koa and Mango here though.
Gotta have a fine tuned resaw or it will cost you in wasted sets.
If you have nice wood it is definitely worth the trouble. Send for a Luthier Mercantile catalogue and they list all the different sizes of instrument sets.
Steve
Hawaiian Hardwoods Direct
www.curlykoa.com

Tom

There ya go, Music Boy.  Steve does it for living. :)

dail_h

     Steve,
   As good as mangos are,it seems like a shame to make boards out of'um ;D ;D
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Steve

Dail

They wonderfully tasty fruit that's for sure. Some of them have beautfiful wood to match.
This link is to a Mango Ukulele Set.

http://www.curlykoa.com/pre-lister/august/mangouke_9_9_1.jpg
Steve
Hawaiian Hardwoods Direct
www.curlykoa.com

music_boy

Thanks Steve. Appreciate the assist. I hope I end up with some sets as nice as those Mango ones. Not familiar with Mango wood but if they make good ukes, they should make good guitar wood. Do you sell to any G makers that have a link so I could get a peek at a finished product?
Rick
It's not how much YOU love, it is how much you ARE loved that matters. (Wizard of OZ)

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