Spruce for tone wood

[PeteStaehling]

I am looking for some nice spruce (sitka maybe) for travel size dulcimer sound boards. Ideally a little over 4" to 6" wide and 28-30" long. Dimensions are flexible as I build a variety of instrument sizes so I can use shorter lengths if that is all I can get. Thickness is not too important since I re saw it and sand it down to 0.090" or so. I get less waste with thicker stock though so I prefer 2-3" thickness.

I'd be interested in anywhere between one piece and enough to make several pieces that size.

I am in Tallahassee so I don't have any decent spruce available locally, but do have other interesting species available if you are interested in working out a trade.

If you want to sell a minimum amount to make it worth your effort I might take more.

 

[Otterhound]

I will look at what I have . This is if Norway Spruce is adequate . Are you concerned about runout ? The narrow width of a dulcimer makes one type of runout less of an issue . There was a man from Virginia that lived nearby that I would supply with luthier quality woods for building dulcimers . He is still around , but no longer building . He is 97 years old now or thereabouts . I am interested in trades . I am going to look at a sycamore after posting this .

 

[PeteStaehling]

Norway spruce and some runout is okay.

I have a local backwoods wood guy who wears a number of hats. He has a business that does some tractor and heavy equipment work that he uses to scout for distressed or down trees that are worthy of salvage and another business where he does beautiful restaurant interiors with the wood he salvages. He also sells some lumber.

He has in the past sold me some really beautiful highly figured lumber at prices that were cheaper than run of the mill lumber would have cost when I lived in the mid atlantic region. Not sure what he currently has on hand, but I expect to be out to see him in the next few weeks if there is anything in particular you are interested in. I can always email him any time as well or can make a road trip since he isn't all that far. He had recently had some pecan that was from an orchard planted in about 1840 in Cotton Georgia, some amazing curly cherry that was kind of tiger striped through out, and something he calls chink-a-pin oak that doesn't look like chinquapin oak that I can find described but is very pretty. He is supposed to be holding some persimmon for me (it is at the mill and still being dried in the kiln), not sure if he has more that will be available.. Other local species are always passing through his business. Most are kind of special pieces since that is what he seeks out.

We also have guys here who pull up ancient bald cypress logs from the river bottoms. These logs sunk well over a hundred years ago and the trees were ancient old growth trees supposedly a thousand or thousands of years old according to the local guys when they sunk. They mostly are after the pecky cypress, but also have some of the clear portions. They are not really after the clear stuff, so you'd think that would go cheaper, but I have't had much luck getting a bargain on it. I never bothered to figure out what I paid per board foot since my only purchase was a cash deal on an unmeasured plank, but it didn't seem cheap. It was beautiful perfect vertical grain with no runout that I have made many soundboards out of, so I guess I got my money's worth. It isn't a traditional tone wood, but I have found it works out pretty well as one. I don't have a regular source, but could seek one out if you are interested.

I have shipped a lot of dulcimers but never lumber. I am guessing that it makes sense to either limit it to small quantities of special stuff or to go to the freight route. You probably have more experience with all that though. It may help that my dulcimers are travel sized and not full length so I find shorter lengths useful. I could consider sizes that fit in a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Board Game Box (23-11/16" x 11-3/4" x 3" inside dimensions). Although longer might be nice if shipping was easy, that length actually covers the large majority of the instruments that I build. I talked to a lumber supplier in Hawaii when I was there a few months ago and he said he used the game board boxes all the time to ship koa and other Hawaiian lumber.

 

[CWS]

I have some Sika spruce I got from a fellow that built sail boats. I think it 2x6 but sure how long. I will check.

 

[CWS]

I have found my sitka spruce. This piece is 2x5.75x24. Let know if will work for you. Both sides and both ends. I shot one side twice. I will I get it later

 

[PeteStaehling]

View attachment 178389 I have found my sitka spruce. This piece is 2x5.75x24. Let know if will work for you. Both sides and both ends. I shot one side twice. I will I View attachment 178388 View attachment 178387 get it later View attachment 178387 View attachment 178387 View attachment 178389

I can use it. What do you want for it? Cash? Some local wood from here in exchange for it? Not sure what the rules are for sales here. If I am breaking any please let me know.

 

[CWS]

I am willing to trade for something with a lot of figure. If you can post a picture that would be good. We can discuss a trade.

 

[PeteStaehling]

I dig through my wood stash and see what I can come up with. One thing that comes to mind is something the locals call chinkapin oak (Not the same as chinquapin). It has a swirly grain and colors that remind me of a brindle dog. It is kind of unique, at least I have never seen any before, and it finishes up very pretty. I may also have some real nice curly cherry. Not sure what else I might have that I can spare some of. I'll have a look and get some pictures.

I will be making a trip to see my supplier in the next two or three weeks assuming that my order (some Persimmon) is out of the kiln and ready on time and will undoubtedly see some nice wood there. If I buy a slab of something I could cut off some to use for a trade.

 

[Mr. Peet]

I am looking for some nice spruce (sitka maybe) for travel size dulcimer sound boards. Ideally a little over 4" to 6" wide and 28-30" long. Dimensions are flexible as I build a variety of instrument sizes so I can use shorter lengths if that is all I can get. Thickness is not too important since I re saw it and sand it down to 0.090" or so. I get less waste with thicker stock though so I prefer 2-3" thickness.

I'd be interested in anywhere between one piece and enough to make several pieces that size.

I am in Tallahassee so I don't have any decent spruce available locally, but do have other interesting species available if you are interested in working out a trade.

If you want to sell a minimum amount to make it worth your effort I might take more.

How many growth rings per inch and assume 1/4 sawn? I might be milling some this spring (winter cut).

Martin Guitar used to sell tone wood for private builders. Thought they still did.

 

[Otterhound]

How many growth rings per inch and assume 1/4 sawn? I might be milling some this spring (winter cut).

Martin Guitar used to sell tone wood for private builders. Thought they still did.

Martin still sells wood at their Guitar Makers Connection location , the old factory . Call ahead to the main factory and ask for the phone number at the Connection . 2 women work that whole part of the operation , so don't be surprised if you need to leave a message .
I am currently processing the spruce that I have here . This one actually grew less than 1 block from me .
I am wondering if the OP will be bookmatching and/or will need quarter sawn .It sounds like he is looking to use 1 piece tops . All of my spruce is quarter sawn as is the majority of the remainder . Since dulcimers are not very wide and string tension is quite low because of the basic design , I doubt that growth rings per inch are of great concern .
My understanding is that dulcimers are typically all hardwoods like walnut , cherry and maple . I currently have walnut , maple / plain to flamed ambrosia , catalpa , black locust , basswood and some others that I can't recall at this time . Of course , not all ukuleles are made with koa .

 

[PeteStaehling]

Okay since some questions were asked I'll try to answer...
Quarter sawn is nice, but not a firm requirement for me in most of my dulcimer wood. Number of growth rings per inch... Truth be told, I have no idea what is typical for sitka spruce.

I take liberties with some of the luthier issues on the basis of the fact that the dulcimer is a folk instrument. I looked at a lot of traditional Appalachian mountain instruments and disavowed myself of the need to build following strict classical instrument protocols. Also, I guess my work is a little unconventional. My instruments are a bit unusual in other ways as well. Folks seem to like them though and I have to strive to keep the enterprise from growing into a full time job. To that end, I had to close the etsy store (their fee hikes were a factor too), I cut back my Facebook posts to pretty much none, and I still get more orders than I really want. I have no doubt I could sell enough to make a living, but I am retired and don't want a job. Heck I don't want to show a profit. I spend the profits on tooling, shop improvements, and so on to keep from having to call it a business and all the red tape that entails and worry that is getting harder to do. I have even considered shutting down the dulcimer work and doing other things in the shop to avoid having to become a real business. That or just stopping a traveling for a few years.

Truth be told the spruce in many cases will be used only for the tops of the dulcimers where it will probably make very little difference in how they sound given that the top is so narrow and so much of it taken up by and supported by the finger board. When it is used for the back it will actually make a difference.

I most often do book match tops and backs, but with plainer looking not so highly figured wood often do not. The majority of my instruments have some distinctive grain of are highly figured wood on the back and as such the backs are almost always book matched. The tops are a little more often quarter sawn and plainer looking wood and when that is the case often not book matched. I have been doing some tops out of some very old growth sinker bald cypress that has a nice color gradation across the piece where not book matching give a nice effect.

Guitar wood is usually sold in sizes that are not that easily adapted to dulcimers. More often than not it is already milled and expensive. I typically prefer to buy my wood in planks of slabs and mill it myself. It does help that most of my instruments are much shorter than traditional dulcimers so I could probably use a set blanks for a guitar to make two dulcimers.

I am definitely spoiled by being able to find a lot of highly figured wood at really good prices from local small scale operators here, but finding non-local stuff is tough. There is almost nothing here when it comes to lumber stores, but when you start to dig into the little backwoods one man operations there are some great sources, at least for local species. There is a lumber place a few hours away with a limited supply and a couple cabinet makers within an hour drive that will sell stuff they have on hand or order things for me.

 

[Otterhound]

I can recall a man that built resonator dulcimers . He was part of the Woodstock show . Doesn't get more unconventional than that . There is nothing wrong with choosing divergent paths in luthery . That is , in fact , how things are learned . I agree about sizing for dulcimer wood when compared what is commercially available for guitars . How about a picture of what you build since visuals work so well ? Besides , I would love to see some of your work . In the meanwhile , I will be making sawdust in order to see what I can offer . The spruce that I have is just coming out of wedge form at this time and being cut into billets .

 

[PeteStaehling]

I build a range of sizes ranging from a little octave instrument that is about 14" long (12" VSL) to a 24" VSL instrument with the occasional full sized one if a customer twists my arm. Many of them use zither pins in the end block rather than a peg head and a majority are sized to fit in a standard airline carry on bag. I'll try to attach a few images of a pair I am working on at the moment and an instrument with the zither pins I mentioned.

Oh and if you are really curious you can find more info on Facebook page and my Feather Dulcimer web page. I don't really want to promote the business here, or anywhere else for that matter so I won't provide links. If you are interested it is easy enough to find me. I hope mentioning the business name doesn't break any forum rules. If it does someone please let me know and I'll edit it out.

 

[PeteStaehling]

I am willing to trade for something with a lot of figure. If you can post a picture that would be good. We can discuss a trade.

I have not yet been able to get to doing a good evaluation of what I might be able to trade of the curly cherry. I'll have to break down a big rough slab before I'll really see what I have. It is another portion of the cherry that the back of the dulcimer with the curly cherry back in the picture is from. The previous piece was all like that. If this one is anywhere near as nice I will be willing to spare some. Actually I'll definitely be willing to spare some of the slab, I just don't know what it all looks like yet. Some is like the picture of the dulcimer, but I am not sure if enough of it is that I can spare some like that or not.

I do have some of the chinkapin oak it is about an inch and a half thick and varying in width with raw edges. If it looks interesting I can take some measurements and figure out how we might break it down so I can get something out of the slab and send you something useful to you. I hadn't given too much thought to what I might do with it other than I might turn a platter. I figure I can get one somewhere between 12" and 14" out of it. without need to glue anything up. The pictures don't do it justice. If you have any interest I can sand a piece and put a coat of finish on it or at least wet it with some mineral spirits. Maybe I'll cut off a pice for turning a platter and do that if you are interested in seeing what it looks like.

 

[Mr. Peet]

I have not yet been able to get to doing a good evaluation of what I might be able to trade of the curly cherry. I'll have to break down a big rough slab before I'll really see what I have. It is another portion of the cherry that the back of the dulcimer with the curly cherry back in the picture is from. The previous piece was all like that. If this one is anywhere near as nice I will be willing to spare some. Actually I'll definitely be willing to spare some of the slab, I just don't know what it all looks like yet. Some is like the picture of the dulcimer, but I am not sure if enough of it is that I can spare some like that or not.

I do have some of the chinkapin oak it is about an inch and a half thick and varying in width with raw edges. If it looks interesting I can take some measurements and figure out how we might break it down so I can get something out of the slab and send you something useful to you. I hadn't given too much thought to what I might do with it other than I might turn a platter. I figure I can get one somewhere between 12" and 14" out of it. without need to glue anything up. The pictures don't do it justice. If you have any interest I can sand a piece and put a coat of finish on it or at least wet it with some mineral spirits. Maybe I'll cut off a pice for turning a platter and do that if you are interested in seeing what it looks like.

I never got to see chinkapin oak that size. Only saw 100 year old stuff that was 8-10 DBH. Look forward to seeing yours become something by some one.

 

[Luthier]

I have a large stash of 40 year old musical instrument grade sitka spruce. 2 x 10s, close, vertical grain.

 

[4jo3]

I have a large stash of 40 year old musical instrument grade sitka spruce. 2 x 10s, close, vertical grain.

View attachment 179184

I would be interested in some pieces after Pete.

 

[Greeny04]

Any available