Posted on July 1, 2024July 9, 2024 by Dale Phillips Questions: Wenge Questions: Wenge by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #61, 2000 See also, Questions: African Wenge by Jeffrey R. Elliott John Calkin of Greenville, Virginia responds to Milan Sabljic’s question regarding wenge and Willy Ware’s questions regarding superglue’s interaction with finishes. Wenge is hard, yet very brittle. Splinters are a constant threat. There’s also a striking difference in hardness between the wood from different seasons. I recently made a copy of a Gibson L-00 with wenge sides that were sort of quartered and a back that was flatsawn. Keeping the back free of ripples was a nasty task involving a lot of block sanding. It’s almost as bad as softwood in this respect. Wenge is also one of those surprise woods that attack some people. The man who gave me my first piece of wenge said it gave him an intense headache when he resawed it. The exact same board had no affect on me. Superglue drop fills: At Huss & Dalton we do drop fills on conversion varnish all the time, and they are invisible. In my own shop I’ve found that with lacquer and Crystalac it should be used between coats so that it can be aggressively sanded flat, otherwise the fills are devilishly hard to hide. Fills used on the surface usually leave a witness mark around the perimeter. Even when the feather-out is perfect and the surface looks and feels dead-on after flat sanding, the fill is often visible after buffing. Finish repairs done in superglue look much better than the ding or scratch, but they are seldom perfectly invisible. Awhile back I resurrected a much-abused mahogany parlor guitar of low value. The back was cracked and dented, and I did all the repair work with dozens of puddles of superglue. The back stabilized wonderfully and looked perfectly flat after sanding. After French polishing it looked like a new guitar, but after a couple days every fill telegraphed through the shellac. More wetsanding and polishing followed, but the fills kept coming through. I finally had to tone down the gloss to make the work acceptable. My customer was thrilled, but I wasn’t happy at all. I’ve decided that the smallest amounts of CA glue possible should be used on instruments, and if possible it should be mixed with sanding dust to stabilize it. The stuff is a life saver, but it’s not quite God’s gift to lutherie. ◆
Posted on July 1, 2024July 9, 2024 by Dale Phillips Questions: African Wenge Questions: African Wenge by Jeffrey R. Elliott Originally published in American Lutherie #59, 1999 See also, Questions: Wenge by John Calkin Milan Sabljic of Belgrade, Yugoslavia asks: I would like to know is it safe to use African wenge to make classic guitar bridges. Jeff Elliott of Portland, OR responds: I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see any reason not to. It’s dense, it sounds (taps) well, and it’s beautiful. Also, Gibson used it for steel string guitar bridges in the 1970s. I think it would work very well. ◆
Posted on July 1, 2024July 9, 2024 by Dale Phillips Letter: Replanting Rosewood Letter: Replanting Rosewood by Erik Stenn Originally published in American Lutherie #69, 2002 Dear Tim, During my travels I have lived amongst and visited areas that have been heavily deforested. As an ecologist I am painfully aware of the impacts deforestation has on ecosystems both terrestrial and aquatic. As a luthier I am aware of the effects of deforestation on another level, namely the cost and availability of instrument wood. Certainly there are sources available, and I am not writing this to berate an industry — perhaps just a practice. The reality is that more species are making their way onto the CITIES list. What will be left for my children and their children? Through numerous visits to Brazil to visit family, I became introduced to many beautiful hardwoods that are now rare. My guitar teacher works mostly with Brazilian rosewood but laments its scarcity. This situation, in conjunction with my father-in-law’s dream of having his children work his land, generated the idea to reforest the land (forty hectares of old cattle grazing grounds) with hardwoods. This project relies heavily on the participation of the entire family. The children have bought into the concept of replanting (during the rainy season) knowing that at some point in their lives they will begin the selected harvesting and continued replanting and pass this on to their children. Last year we planted twenty or thirty Dalbergia nigra saplings, and this year more of the same, with diversification into other species. In our minds it is not just replanting monocrop style but to approach this by recognizing possible synergistic interactions between species. Repeated studies have demonstrated that monocropped rosewood has lower survivals. Why Brazil? We had access to land that was not being used. If we had the opportunity here in the States we would do the same thing. It is a gratifying project. Strangely, we are capitalizing on the situation, but in the process are giving back and educating ourselves. At the moment it seems like a win-win situation. I just wanted to recommend others trying this too. ◆
Posted on August 1, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Wood Salvaging Down Under Wood Salvaging Down Under by Des Anthony Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, Volume 6 #2, 1978 and Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1998 Woodstock. No, not that Woodstock, but a one-shop, no-houses Woodstock in North Queensland, Australia. At last the moment had arrived. It was a typical hot summer’s day and I was armed with the necessary tools. There was still that feeling of uncertainty in my mind that what I was to do was totally criminal. Sharing the shed with the ’dozers and tractors was an old upright Victor piano. Nobody wanted it anymore so I was able to carry out my plan. At home, our towns usually have a festival each year, and in that festival procession there is always an old car whereupon, for a fee, you may smash with a sledge hammer. Well, I wasn’t in that kind of mood, but I was still going to reduce this piano to an unrecognizable mess, but, I hope with a more dignified ending. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on July 1, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Questions: Quartersawn Wood Questions: Quartersawn Wood by Alan Ollivant Originally published in American Lutherie #74, 2003 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 John Forcade of Poulsbo, Washington asks: I have acquired six large maple rounds and would like to quartersaw them and let them dry out for a few years. They are about 45" long and 3' in diameter. I am not an experienced woodworker so I am looking for some specific directions on how to quartersaw. I would assume I am going to have to split the rounds into fourths by hand and then cut a board off one face, then cut the next board off the opposite face until each quarter is completely cut? Am I on the right track? Also, once I split each round open, how can I determine the quality of the maple? Am I going to be primarily looking for figure? If the wood is good and I keep it, how long should I let it dry before using it? Should it be kept in a controlled environment from day one? I also have some koa from the big island. What differentiates quality koa from average koa? Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
