Getting Memorial Day wood

[Danl8]

This morning took part of the holiday to mill some local wood - cherry and walnut, stored in my garage for 20 yrs. Looks like I will be able to get a few sets of each. Also found 7 nails deep in one piece...probably a no hunting sign from decades ago. (yup, blade ruined)

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Now that looks like fun. There are these humungous Eucalipitus trees along the old highway on my way to work, probably 80 or 90 years old, and every once in awhile one gets taken down. All I can see are future guitar sets, and I can imagine the wood is gorgeous.

Of course I'd have to wait 20 years to use it, and by then I'll be too old to use it.

[Danl8]

So, seven years later, the first guitar has been very slowly emerging from the stack of cherry boards we cut in May 2015. The cherry has lots of character (knots & various defects), but shows some promise for reasonable sound quality. The backyard cherry dred along with the 6 other completed 00 bodies I've been working on might be finished this year. Maybe.

[jread]

So cool. I’d love to learn more about preparing tone woods from local trees.

[Skarsaune]

So cool. I’d love to learn more about preparing tone woods from local trees.

That is very much what I’m into.

Cherry dread nearing the final assembly stage

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Set of local maple

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Walnut in progress

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The maple and walnut are from logs we milled. The others were resawn from “interesting” boards obtained locally.

The maple set has an eastern white pine top, also from a tree we milled. The intent is to make a guitar all from woods from this county. It may end up at the local art center.

[Skarsaune]

My labels are a little out of whack there but you get the idea.

Last one completed, a 000 in Black Locust:

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The black locust came from a sawyer in Asheville.
It was fumed with ammonia - it’s a little bland otherwise.

We have a chainsaw mill, for remote operation and breaking down big logs, a wood mizer bandsaw mill, a solar kiln for drying, and now, after a couple of years, a barn full of wood, lol.

I pick out interesting pieces and set them aside for guitars. Besides the stuff already in progress, there’s some quartersawn white oak in the kiln, and plenty of black walnut on the shelf.

[Danl8]

Those are amazing (especially the cherry dreadnought)!! Looks like you have the perfect setup for an endless supply of interesting tonewood.