Why not just set up an exchange? I use pine, Northern White Pine, not the hard resinous southern varieties. It carves great, doesn't turn worth a darn, and doesn't glue ie laminate well.Personally, the only way that I would use pine on a neck, white, yellow, green, north east south or west, would be with a solid piece and a truss rod. Also I would most definitely only use straight grained sections with growth rings running along the entire length of the section. Look at wood furniture, you never see drawers or jewelry boxes made with flatsawn sections, they move, which means they warp, bend and break. It just aint worth putting the time in-unless that it intentionally the look you want-into a build to have it tear itself apart. I'm sure it's been done before on here, but if someone needs neck or head stock material, let's try an exchange. I have a lifetime supply of hard maple, most of it unfigured (which means cheap), that I could rip down into suitable sections that should be shippable for fairly reasonable rates. My .02 worth.
I made a few Diddleybows with pine necks last week, they sound great and are holding together well so far-keep in mind however that:
1) Each Diddly has only two strings(tuned to a fifth) of light gauge, and
2) The pine in question for the neck is cut from Seventy year-old Fire-cured tobacco hanger sticks, a legacy from my Grandfather's barn(and now my workshop for the larger projects).
I've used the Wickes Hemlock spindles, but I've also put a truss rod and an oak fertboard on them. It's nice stable timber, pretty close grained and easy to work.
I have useed stair spindles from B&Q and Wickes . They do square ones in Oak. Also Wickes do one in Hemlock. It is still a softwood but I have used it with no problem so far. You could also try a local timber merchant. They will cut you some oak or mahogany.
Prof
Tam Givens said:
Thank's for the answers Guys. I live in Scotland and our main DIY store is B&Q pine is about all I can get there. I will have to visit a sawmill to get some oak. I have been using oak from a coffee table that my son ruined with cigarete.
If you are willing to laminate the neck you could turning the wood so that is ends up being 1/4 sawn (if that makes sense) and epoxy some steel reinforcement. I have used 1/2"-1/8''x 15 1/2" that I bought at home depot... Of course you will have to glue on a fingerboard.... Could look great... Just an option- Jim
Lewis Lee said:
I've been thinking about what I could do with a couple slabs of fir I have out in the shed; wondering if I could use a slab to make a guitar in one piece. They are very rough cuts through the center of the tree, about an inch thick, gotten from a trapper's cabin way out in the bush by Carbondale Creek in the West Castle area of Alberta. My family has been in the area for over 100 years, and my uncles tell me the cabin was there when they were kids, so I'm thinking it's possible the wood dates from about that era.
If you can find a wood salvage shop -- one that will collect the woods from old buildings or barns that would be the ticket. Here in the states (SoEast US), we see old tobacco barns for time to time which the wood in it is extremely hard.
Now this isn't something you're just gonna go out and tear one down. Again, if you can find out who locally does house or barn demolition, see what you can get from them (if you can get anything from them). Old wood is far superior in my opinion for just about anything.
-WY
Travis Woodall said:
Okay, Pine is a sort of specialty for me so I will add my 2 cents if you don't mind...Pine is a very unique specie of wood. Yellow pine with no heart is soft and not a great choice. However, heart pine is about 25% harder and antique heart pine is about 50% harder. My company manufactures flooring in both Yellow Pine, Heart Pine and Antique Heart Pine flooring. I will tell you, vertical grain antique heart pine is twice as stable as oak or maple and just as hard if not harder. As the wood ages, the resins in the heart wood crystallize and get harder and harder. Find yourself a nice piece of old, vertical grain heart pine and you will not be disappointed in the results. I promise you.
I have tried with pine, and even taken the time to put an oak spine through it. Really no good over time. Well advised to try something else, like ashwood from an Axe handle (which is much harder).
If you have plenty of time to waste, then go ahead, but for me the pine neck is no more.
Viola and violin necks are often made from highland fir trees here in Europe, but it seems they do not have the same strain on them as a six string does. If the wood has laid long enough and is quatered correctly there should be a result to be gotten. But I really prefer Cherry, maple, Ash, walnut, etc.
maybe I just got lucky in being able to find plenty of old stored wood from 50 years ago, which is much better to both work and play.
One of my first builds was from an old cricket bat, which is a har and springy willow. Worked great.
If you are willing to laminate the neck you could turning the wood so that is ends up being 1/4 sawn (if that makes sense) and epoxy some steel reinforcement. I have used 1/2"-1/8''x 15 1/2" that I bought at home depot... Of course you will have to glue on a fingerboard.... Could look great... Just an option- Jim
Lewis Lee said:
I've been thinking about what I could do with a couple slabs of fir I have out in the shed; wondering if I could use a slab to make a guitar in one piece. They are very rough cuts through the center of the tree, about an inch thick, gotten from a trapper's cabin way out in the bush by Carbondale Creek in the West Castle area of Alberta. My family has been in the area for over 100 years, and my uncles tell me the cabin was there when they were kids, so I'm thinking it's possible the wood dates from about that era.
Replies
Why not just set up an exchange? I use pine, Northern White Pine, not the hard resinous southern varieties. It carves great, doesn't turn worth a darn, and doesn't glue ie laminate well.Personally, the only way that I would use pine on a neck, white, yellow, green, north east south or west, would be with a solid piece and a truss rod. Also I would most definitely only use straight grained sections with growth rings running along the entire length of the section. Look at wood furniture, you never see drawers or jewelry boxes made with flatsawn sections, they move, which means they warp, bend and break. It just aint worth putting the time in-unless that it intentionally the look you want-into a build to have it tear itself apart. I'm sure it's been done before on here, but if someone needs neck or head stock material, let's try an exchange. I have a lifetime supply of hard maple, most of it unfigured (which means cheap), that I could rip down into suitable sections that should be shippable for fairly reasonable rates. My .02 worth.
I use wood from the pine family in the UK this type is called redwood hear(Not the big cedars in California)
In my opinion for a three string with no fretts and made with 1" by 2" bit of timber will do fine
I have made loads over the last three years all with steel string and no issues
Pine will also get very strong as the resins dry
My blog
http://darrenscigarboxguitars.blogspot.co.uk/
I'll be stringing up my first pine neck (tomorrow?) I imbedded a 1/8X1/2 steel bar in it so technically it's not all pine.
I made a few Diddleybows with pine necks last week, they sound great and are holding together well so far-keep in mind however that:
1) Each Diddly has only two strings(tuned to a fifth) of light gauge, and
2) The pine in question for the neck is cut from Seventy year-old Fire-cured tobacco hanger sticks, a legacy from my Grandfather's barn(and now my workshop for the larger projects).
Tam
I have useed stair spindles from B&Q and Wickes . They do square ones in Oak. Also Wickes do one in Hemlock. It is still a softwood but I have used it with no problem so far. You could also try a local timber merchant. They will cut you some oak or mahogany.
Prof
Tam Givens said:
Jim Mitchell said:If you can find a wood salvage shop -- one that will collect the woods from old buildings or barns that would be the ticket. Here in the states (SoEast US), we see old tobacco barns for time to time which the wood in it is extremely hard.
Now this isn't something you're just gonna go out and tear one down. Again, if you can find out who locally does house or barn demolition, see what you can get from them (if you can get anything from them). Old wood is far superior in my opinion for just about anything.
-WY
Travis Woodall said:
If you have plenty of time to waste, then go ahead, but for me the pine neck is no more.
Viola and violin necks are often made from highland fir trees here in Europe, but it seems they do not have the same strain on them as a six string does. If the wood has laid long enough and is quatered correctly there should be a result to be gotten. But I really prefer Cherry, maple, Ash, walnut, etc.
maybe I just got lucky in being able to find plenty of old stored wood from 50 years ago, which is much better to both work and play.
One of my first builds was from an old cricket bat, which is a har and springy willow. Worked great.
Lewis Lee said:
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