Teak… and other woods not used. Why?

[SOUTH PAW]

Recently, there's been a few threads on type of woods used, or would never use, and what one's preference is. Got me looking at most of what is used both commonly, and rare or exotic. Just so you know, other than some carpentry, I've never worked with woods or built any stringed instruments, so hopefully those who have can answer. Out of curiosity, a wood that would seem to be ideal for a guitar or bass, but never seen used, is Teak. It has about the same density and hardness as Walnut. Even a similar darkness (a little lighter) with a little added redness to the brown. I know it's mostly used on boats and bowls, utensils, so I would think it is somewhat easy to work with. So why is Teak not used?

To a lesser degree, Birch and Beech?

 

[Texican]

Is Teak expensive relative to other woods?

 

[4SG]

 

[RichterScale]

This is usually my first stop when researching lumber.
Teak | The Wood Database (Hardwood)

As for why not in instruments, I'm guessing the 2 biggest reasons are cost and the high silica content which would destroy cutting tools and make it even more cost prohibitive. A 3rd and smaller reason might be that it's oily, but there's ways to work around that for gluing, etc.
It's too bad it's so expensive, because other than that and the high silica, it has ideal weight:strength.

 

[SOUTH PAW]

This is usually my first stop when researching lumber.
Teak | The Wood Database (Hardwood)

As for why not in instruments, I'm guessing the 2 biggest reasons are cost and the high silica content which would destroy cutting tools and make it even more cost prohibitive. A 3rd and smaller reason might be that it's oily, but there's ways to work around that for gluing, etc.
It's too bad it's so expensive, because other than that and the high silica, it has ideal weight:strength.

Yes. Since first responses all suspecting price being the reason, I checked on one source that sells exotic wood, and it was about four times the cost of walnut. I found since I first posted, that it's also used to make furniture ( probably more in the past ) and shower benches/seats that are currently popular, as it can handle moisture well. Thanks for the link and other reasons it might not be used.

 

[RichterScale]

Wife and I took a once in a lifetime vaca/honeymoon and I got to use a heated soaker tub made of teak a few times.
Ever since, I've had plans to build one some day. But, I haven't researched it yet.
Now that I know it's so expensive,....maybe it won't be teak.

 

[sleddogn]

yeah, we have some teak tables, ain't cheap at all

 

[JRA]

what about teak for fingerboards? Does anyone know about that?

 

[SOUTH PAW]

what about teak for fingerboards? Does anyone know about that?

It might not be hard enough. It's about 400lb less than hard maple on the Janka hardness scale

 

[Killing Floor]

Cripe Guitars. Beautiful.

 

[devnulljp]

I lived in a teak house in Thailand. That stuff is like adamantium, super heavy, impossible to dent let alone get a nail into it. Also, illegal to log now and what there is is super expensive.
The tropical stuff is different from the teak they used in Scandinavian furniture, which is also pretty expensive.

 

[BassoSaku]

A local luthier uses a lot of birch in his builds. There are a lot of beautiful flame birch and visa birch (which resembles the bird's eye figure) builds. Check them out:

Ruokangas Guitars - Handmade with Love in Finland

Birch generally is a bit difficult to use as a stable building material as it tends to warp easily. I believe it has to be stabilized somehow, maybe by roasting the planks. I need to check that with Juha Ruokangas.

 

[Honkey tonk]

Not a deal breaker but teak is oily and requires different glue , I made drum and guitar with a teak top

As far as natural materials go ... teak is pretty high on the proverbial food chain, not necessarily the greatest tone wood .

 

[bmac314]

I bought a Teak neck from Warmoth several years ago for my J bass. It was a great neck and a little heavier than your typical Maple neck. The thing I remember most about it was how it always felt it had a wax/ oily film on the back.

 

[jamro217]

Teak is used on boats (mostly trim and railing) because it holds up well to moisture, direct sunlight and salt water. Sanding it is difficult (don't ask how I know*) and drilling into it is tough, too. Best leave it for marine use.









* <Read where I'm from.

 

[Ostie]

I have no experience in woodworking or furniture-making with teak, But I owned a sailboat for almost 30 years and worked with teak a lot. Regular wood glue like Titebond doesn't bond well with teak due to its oil. Teak can be prone to splitting, and Unfinished teak turns driftwood gray unless oiled or varnished to protect it from UV damage. Oiled teak is prone to mold and mildew that feed on the oil. There are acid based teak cleaners that work quite well but they are messy and require rinsing with water. My point is that teak requires a lot of maintenance, at least in a marine application.

 

[InhumanResource]

Teak is used on boats (mostly trim and railing) because it holds up well to moisture, direct sunlight and salt water. Sanding it is difficult (don't ask how I know*) and drilling into it is tough, too. Best leave it for marine use.









* <Read where I'm from.

I know how you know. Grew up sailing with dad in Jersey

 

[Ostie]

If you don't like scraping, sanding, painting, varnishing, washing, waxing, and writing checks, boating is the wrong hobby to get into.

 

[sabre79]

So why is Teak not used

I don't know. It is very oily. I haven't worked with it in a while but it is my favorite wood to work with. Wonderful smell and when you plane it, the shavings fall straight down with little dust. I made some Teak and Koa table tops for a restaurant 25 years ago. It was like 10 dollars a board foot then. I believe now you can only use trees that have fallen for both Teak and Koa.

 

[31HZ]

I hear that it makes a nice fire, isn't it good