The Domestic Wood Thread

[Beej]

Pacific Dogwood is available locally to me but I've actually never worked it. It's usually pretty twisty and thin when I've come across it but might work out for a fingerboard as it's pretty dense and hard. It's kind of a bland wood though. Yew as well is also available here and is very hard for a softwood, it could also serve as a bland fingerboard. Mesquite would be nice for something interesting, NA although not local to me...

[pilotjones]

Is yew poisonous?

[klaus486]

My bass is made from Pacific coast woods Alder and Redwood. A Warmoth product. Has a Moses Graphite neck and Dimarzio pickups. Both also made in USA and an American made Badass II bridge.

[Beej]

Originally Posted by pilotjones

Is yew poisonous?

Yep, I've always worked it like laburnum, and just used gloves and a respirator. Speaking of Laburnum, its another one dense enough and with enough darkness as to be another another fingerboard option. Not an NA native, but its around everywhere I live and I can source it felled locally too...

[curbowkid]

Originally Posted by HaMMerHeD

North America...

Northern Ash, Green/Red Ash, Black Ash, Basswood (a.k.a. Linden), Alder, Red Maple, Hard Maple, Bigleaf Maple, Koa, Black Walnut, Claro Walnut, Redwood, Port Orford Cedar, Oregon Myrtle, Mesquite, Shagbark Hickory

If we include Mexico..

Katalox, Cocobolo, Bocote, Granadillo, Spanish Cedar

I'm sure there are many more. You could probably use Oak, but...it's Oak.

You missed American Ebony
Also buckeye burl

[Beej]

By American Ebony, do you mean cocuswood? From the west indies, so pushing it a bit to call it domestic.

Buckeye's been used for tops as the burls can be purty, but it's super soft...

[MEKer]

Oregon Myrtle-----a unique wood. Having lived in Oregon for years I can appreciate it and have a couple of things made from it (bowl and a calendar thingy). Fairly expensive wood. I'd guess it'd only be good for a top? Luthiers enlighten me if otherwise.

Mesquite...I was looking up ironwood for a project once and was informed mesquite ranks 2nd hardest wood in the world IIRC.(?) Saw a picture of a deck about 40 years old with virtually no wear showing. Make an interesting fingerboard probably. Again, Luthiers can set me straight if need be.

[Beej]

Here's another thought - what's the softest wood you've successfully made a neck with? And a fingerboard?

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by Beej

By American Ebony, do you mean cocuswood? From the west indies, so pushing it a bit to call it domestic.

When I hear "American Ebony," I assume that Persimmon is meant, it being a Diospyros.

[Splods]

Tasmanian blackwood is sometimes used in guitar making in Australia, I'm tempted to buy a body blank of it, but my Grandfather got cancer in his sinus's from it.

[Beej]

Originally Posted by Splods

Tasmanian blackwood is sometimes used in guitar making in Australia, I'm tempted to buy a body blank of it, but my Grandfather got cancer in his sinus's from it.

Jeez Splods that's awful! Us modern woodworkers need to learn from that carefully and always wear a respirator...

[Beej]

Originally Posted by pilotjones

When I hear "American Ebony," I assume that Persimmon is meant, it being a Diospyros.

Good point, I was not sure what was meant because in my own experience "american ebony" seems to be kind of an archaic "european" term for hard "ebonies" from "the americas" and so included things like Katalox, Cocuswood, Granadillo, etc. Although with curbowkid being a skilled worker but a very young man, I was surprised to see him use a term more common to old european woodworkers! No offense curbowkid!

[curbowkid]

Originally Posted by Beej

Good point, I was not sure what was meant because in my own experience "american ebony" seems to be kind of an archaic "european" term for hard "ebonies" from "the americas" and so included things like Katalox, Cocuswood, Granadillo, etc. Although with curbowkid being a skilled worker but a very young man, I was surprised to see him use a term more common to old european woodworkers! No offense curbowkid!

I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm skilled, I still have a lot to learn. But thank you! I actually have an application that lists off American woods and American ebony was among them.

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/onl...s%20virginiana

Its grown in the south east united states so it is in a sense domestic to a portion of the US

[FBB Custom]

I have used persimmon (virginia ebony), pecan, and maple for fingerboards. There are a few others I would use -- dogwood, black locust, and mesquite -- if I could find the right stock. I have a local guy with dogwood and black locust.

I've used red, river, and white oak, red, big leaf, and sugar maple, elm, redwood (argh!), buckeye (ARGH!), alder, black, claro, and english walnut, butternut, sassafras (good stuff), spruce, white and black ash, cherry, tulip poplar, cottonwood, myrtle, gum, and sycamore (plane). There are many others but they tend to all in a limited range of density and hardness.

The definition of "domestic" is pretty clear, but I think that the spirit of the domestic exercise (at least for me) is to use woods that get to you with minimal impact on the environment: i.e. little transport, and responsibly harvested. Koa (mango, monkeypod...) is domestic but maybe granadillo travels less distance getting to me. The best you can do (imo) is to find a local guy (or gal) with a sawmill and support them (or get your own sawmill!).

Other threads:
Looking for native wood suggestions/advice
local wood!

[4dog]

Mesquite would be like red oak ,, super duper heavy dense wood looks awesome though.

[chiselhead]

I've used Hack Hornbeam, referred to as ironwood around here, for a fingerboard. For fingerboards I've also experimented with chestnut, black birch, and hickory. For bodies, one of my favorite woods not mentioned yet is butternut, very light with nice grain unlike basswood which is light but lacking in the cool grain department.

[Beej]

How was the chestnut? It seems too soft to make a good fingerboard, what was your experience?

[chiselhead]

The chestnut was very tight grained, upwards of 20 rings per inch and vertical grained as well, so it has held up well. Perhaps if it wasn't so tight grained or flatsawn it might not have held up as well and I probably wouldn't have used it either if that were the case.

[Splods]

Here's a photo of my first Bass, a P made from Western Australian Jarrah.



I absolutely love the wood, as it's fairly priced, sounds good, and can handle a solid beating or two.