Hey guys, i was just wondered if those of you from the UK could share any hardwood sources... especially mahogany! im having a real hard time finding ANYWHERE that sells hardwood!
Thanks in advance!!
Josh.
:)
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I have just been to my local branch of MGM Timber (branches in Scotland only I think). Arrived with some trepidation, looking for 3ft of 2 x 1 in a great barn of a place with massive sheets and lengths stacked metres high.
Met on the way in by a friendly guy who took me to their mahogany area - dont do 2 x 1 but they have 3.9m lengths of 2 x .5 (45mm x 15mm) so I picked out one of those and will laminate it to get the thickness I need. Planed, straight, knot free.
Thought I better check the price before committing as I've seen some crazy prices on ebay for "craft" and "luthier" wood (which was going to have to be my next try) ...
£5.94 inc VAT! Result!
So I now have a good supply of what I reckon is cheap mahogany on my doorstep. If I get a table say, they do 4 x 1 that I could cut down.
ive got loads of laminate flooring and other wood in the garage but none of it seems neck grade... the laminate flooring is too thin, and theres some softwood that would crumble... and some mdf / ply / chipboard etc..
c# merle said:
95% of my necks are made from solid wood flooring. once you sand the laminate off their ideal for carving. just keep an ear open for anyone getting a new floor and claim the offcuts!
95% of my necks are made from solid wood flooring. once you sand the laminate off their ideal for carving.
just keep an ear open for anyone getting a new floor and claim the offcuts!
Ah okay.. thanks a lot :-). bit more than 80 miles for me! Will give them a ring
Paul Dawson said:
I don't know about ordering online as I always go in person - it's an 80 mile round trip for me but well worth it as I can mooch around the timber (the public area is the size of an aircraft hangar). Try phoning them - 01423 322370 (or FAX - 01423 324334).
I don't know about ordering online as I always go in person - it's an 80 mile round trip for me but well worth it as I can mooch around the timber (the public area is the size of an aircraft hangar). Try phoning them - 01423 322370 (or FAX - 01423 324334).
This site is great! cheers. Is there any way of ordering online?? Or shall i just drop 'em a line.
Cheers, Josh
Paul Dawson said:
Try John Boddy of Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. They have a wide range of exotic hard woods. Check out their website. I've had American Black Walnut, American Cherry and American Tulipwood from them. They have mahogany and, I think, sapele. They also have woods like wenge and Purpleheart.
Try John Boddy of Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. They have a wide range of exotic hard woods. Check out their website.
I've had American Black Walnut, American Cherry and American Tulipwood from them. They have mahogany and, I think, sapele. They also have woods like wenge and Purpleheart.
hi guys.. cheers for the replies! i think im going to try and track down a solid source of sapele.. as it seems a lot easier to find and everyone has good words for it!
That is, as soon as my money clears from a PA amp i sold!!! my fingers are itching!!!
It is difficult to find good sources of hardwood in the UK. Some of the experienced builders on here seem to manage to find a lot of good material in skips but that isn't an option for everyone (for some reason I rarely see skips in the road around where I live and the ones I've come across have had nothing but useless lumps of softwood and MDF).
My wood of choice at the moment is sapele, which I get cheap from local joinery firms - I have a couple that'll saw and plane small quantities for me cash in hand (it works out about £3 a neck). You just have to be cheeky and ask - people are often happy to help and you have nothing to lose by trying.
I began using sapele because a guy at one of those firms suggested it to me as a sort of poor man's substitute for mahogany. I've found it really easy to work with and easy to get a nice finish while also producing very strong necks. Wikipedia has the following to say about it:
The commercially important wood is reminiscent of mahogany, with a distinctive figure, typically applied where figure is important. It is sought after as flooring for its durability and beautiful graining. Among its more exotic uses is in guitar manufacturing, in the top, back and sides of acoustic guitar bodies as well as the tops of electric guitar bodies, for example by well known guitar manufacturers such as Ibanez (Japan/USA), Taylor (USA), Martin (USA), Larrivée (Canada) and Esteve (Spain). Sapele is also used for the neck piece of ukuleles due to its pleasant aesthetic quality, by such manufacturers as the Hawaiian companies Kamaka and Koaloha. Late in the 90s, it started to be used as a board for Basque percussion instruments txalaparta on the strength of the livelier quality of the sound. It is also used by American car maker Cadillac for interior wood trim on its vehicles,
Replies
I have just been to my local branch of MGM Timber (branches in Scotland only I think). Arrived with some trepidation, looking for 3ft of 2 x 1 in a great barn of a place with massive sheets and lengths stacked metres high.
Met on the way in by a friendly guy who took me to their mahogany area - dont do 2 x 1 but they have 3.9m lengths of 2 x .5 (45mm x 15mm) so I picked out one of those and will laminate it to get the thickness I need. Planed, straight, knot free.
Thought I better check the price before committing as I've seen some crazy prices on ebay for "craft" and "luthier" wood (which was going to have to be my next try) ...
£5.94 inc VAT! Result!
So I now have a good supply of what I reckon is cheap mahogany on my doorstep. If I get a table say, they do 4 x 1 that I could cut down.
just need to figure out a way to cleanly cut it down the middle as its too wide... i dont have a table saw
c# merle said:
just keep an ear open for anyone getting a new floor and claim the offcuts!
Paul Dawson said:
Cheers, Josh
Paul Dawson said:
I've had American Black Walnut, American Cherry and American Tulipwood from them. They have mahogany and, I think, sapele. They also have woods like wenge and Purpleheart.
That is, as soon as my money clears from a PA amp i sold!!! my fingers are itching!!!
Josh
My wood of choice at the moment is sapele, which I get cheap from local joinery firms - I have a couple that'll saw and plane small quantities for me cash in hand (it works out about £3 a neck). You just have to be cheeky and ask - people are often happy to help and you have nothing to lose by trying.
I began using sapele because a guy at one of those firms suggested it to me as a sort of poor man's substitute for mahogany. I've found it really easy to work with and easy to get a nice finish while also producing very strong necks. Wikipedia has the following to say about it:
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