What`s the best way to get rib wood...

[JKoehler]

out of a wedge of maple? I just got some beautiful maple for the back of my next bass I`m making, and it`s big enough,428mm tall, to get the wood for the ribs out too. Should I get the ribs from the outside of the wedge or resaw down the middle and get the ribs from there and book match the outside portion? I`m thinking it may be better to book match the center, but I thought I would ask if anyone has done this before. Also, if anyone knows of a bandsaw that I can hire in the Central Texas, Austin, area that can resaw 17"?
Thanks

[arnoldschnitzer]

How thick is the back wood? Are you making a round or flat back? Usually an extra matching piece is sold with the back for cutting rib stock. Many suppliers cut this rib stock thin for you.

[forester]

888-545-9663 will get you in touch with the N.M. wood-mizer rep. who can tell you who has a band in your area. the new portable bands are thin kerf and are very accurate, they can saw double the width you need. sawing cost are around .30 bdft +/-. ..what flavor maple?

[JKoehler]

The thicker part of the wedge is about 13.5cm going to about 6.5cm. It`s for a carved back bass, Panormo copy. I too have seen where matching wood is cut with the back, but the supplier in Germany didn`t do it with this piece of wood. I think it`s also made the price of the wood much less. As for the Wood Mizer, it looks like it just cuts horizontally. Maybe I`m wrong, but doesn`t it need to be cut vertically? It seems as if it would be very hard to get a straight cut while the wedge is on it`s side.

[forester]

horizontal (same as) vertical...just turned on it's side or is that visa versa. you're just centersplitting the wedge. with that particular style saw,when the piece your cutting is zero'd in and secured the saw moves not the wood. you just have to deal with the taper when setting up...pattern your cuts to get the best yield and match.

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by JKoehler

The thicker part of the wedge is about 13.5cm going to about 6.5cm. It`s for a carved back bass, Panormo copy.

I don't think your wedge is thick enough to allow for the resawing of rib material. I just put a caliper on a split wedge I have. Each half is a little over 6.6 cm thick which would make the unsplit wedge at 13.2 mm. My wedges are not as wide as yours (about 13 1/2"), but the thickness of the outside edge is about 2.6 cm or 5.2 for the unsplit wedge. If it were me, I would try to buy some ready cut rib stock from your supplier.

[nicfargo]

Noob question, who do you guys all use for wood suppliers? It seems like there are a lot to choose from. Do your suppliers air dry or kiln dry (I've heard kiln is bad for instruments). I'm looking at making some violins first and then take a stab at an upright bass.