not really a "wood choice" but these guys are rocking the alternative construction options:
Klos Guitars Apollo Bass guitars
Klos Guitars Apollo Bass guitars
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Wood choices and considerations
- Thread starter mrperkolator
- Start date
Maybe it's just me, but rapeseed oil scares me.
I'm mostly disappointed in you because you said you would forever refer to it as padookie.
I mean, that's what it's called in English and iirc most of the Latin languages. Wikipedia says: "The term 'rape' derives from the Latin word for turnip, rapa or rapum, cognate with the Greek word rhapys." The connotations aren't awesome but our ancestors have been calling it "rapeseed" for a few centuries now and that's what it's stuck with.Maybe it's just me, but rapeseed oil scares me.
"Canola" is more or less a marketing term coined for the major oil-producing cultivars to take the edge off.
Anyway: However you call it it's still not great for wood finishing. I use it for seasoning my cast iron pans but that's because I can heat them up over 500°F, where the oil polymerizes. Can't do that with wood.
Before, I didn't have any, didn't think I'd find any, was jealous of the folks who had it, so I was making fun of it.
Now that I have some, I'm all highfalutin and proper. I feel I'm much more cultured and mature now.
You still use that wedgie wood though don’t ya? so maybe not 100% high falutin.
Well... more technically Canola is specific cultivars of rapeseed (a family of plants) which must have a maximum of 2% erucic acid by weight.
Rapeseed oil - Wikipedia
As a Canadian (the "Can" in Canola) I felt obligated to point that out
Here's an idle thought: Would tree roots make good fingerboard wood? Assume for the sake of argument that it might be possible to find a piece straight and wide enough to work. (I know that in this real world it's extremely unlikely.)
After the Nth time running over a particular tree root with the lawn mower, I got to wondering whether tree roots might have useful material properties distinct from trunk wood.
After the Nth time running over a particular tree root with the lawn mower, I got to wondering whether tree roots might have useful material properties distinct from trunk wood.
I'll see if I can get a piece out of this.
The grain patterns are different. So the wood may be different from the above ground wood.
I have a club that was given to me in Africa a long time ago, after buying and drinking way too much with my guide and his friends. he said it was made from a root. The wood is crazy hard and dense and the grain is smooth. I do not know the parent tree.
Anyone try anything new? What wood would work well as accent stripes (racing stripes) on a brownish top? I was thinking something dyed white…
Or the white parts of sycamore or maple.
if quarter sawn the figure is interesting but not too wild.
if quarter sawn the figure is interesting but not too wild.
Okoume, monkey pod, empress / paulownia, spanish cedar, walnut, redwood.
I was reading up on stock from a local wood mill, and found that the "lower" quality wood had more inclusions, holes, cracks, etc, but that this gave more "character." The "high grade wood had very little character in it, and was honestly a bit bland.... so if one were to go with the "mid" grade (reduce issues with both extremes), how would you guys approach filling the cracks/inclusions when prepping the body blank?
In the past I had found (but not used successfully...long story) solarez and liked the super hard finish it gave. Any ideas on how to fill these holes and use a glossy finish? Open to suggestions...
In the past I had found (but not used successfully...long story) solarez and liked the super hard finish it gave. Any ideas on how to fill these holes and use a glossy finish? Open to suggestions...
I had a few inclusions in the last cherry blank I made. I filled the larger one with epoxy and the smaller ones with leftover epoxy and CA after I used all the epoxy I mixed. Use the finish of your choice. I’ve never had issues with TruOil, Createx or Varathane Ultimate sticking to CA or epoxy. This body will be a solid color so I wasn’t worried about appearance but epoxy can be tinted.
Barn wood P bass from a dude in Akron Ohio. Website laysguitar.com gave me an error when I tried to get more details. Mostly I wanted to bump this thread and see what yall are up to. And this is pretty cool..... Although to make it extra I'd have a black leather pickguard made. Just to be different.
@Beej what do you think of this video?
Think it might work with an amber oil such as tung oil? I suppose you'd have to pick a particular oil that is ok with heat to melt down wax into it. Also, that guys breadboard butter has been used by one of the guys in the Short Scale club here on TB, and he says it works great. It's inexpensive compared to some finishes.
Think it might work with an amber oil such as tung oil? I suppose you'd have to pick a particular oil that is ok with heat to melt down wax into it. Also, that guys breadboard butter has been used by one of the guys in the Short Scale club here on TB, and he says it works great. It's inexpensive compared to some finishes.
I’ve started planning my next build.
It will be acoustic, so tone wood counts
The wood I have for the top is spruce from Pennsylvania and the neck, back and sides will be American sycamore. As far as the fingerboard goes, I am undecided. Likely some form of hard maple, but I am open to suggestions. I need a thick long board for this concept and Ebony would be great, but it’s expensive and hard to find at the dimensions I would like, bloodwood is also a possibility and will age to a nice dark brown. I’d really like to try Osage orange or persimmon if anyone knows of a good source for a straight, 1” x 4” x 36” or so or 25mm x 100x 1000 give or take a few mm for the civilized among us.
It will be acoustic, so tone wood counts
The wood I have for the top is spruce from Pennsylvania and the neck, back and sides will be American sycamore. As far as the fingerboard goes, I am undecided. Likely some form of hard maple, but I am open to suggestions. I need a thick long board for this concept and Ebony would be great, but it’s expensive and hard to find at the dimensions I would like, bloodwood is also a possibility and will age to a nice dark brown. I’d really like to try Osage orange or persimmon if anyone knows of a good source for a straight, 1” x 4” x 36” or so or 25mm x 100x 1000 give or take a few mm for the civilized among us.
If you're down in FL, is there any cool local hardwood? give it an extra FL flair.
