I Bought Kick Ass Wood

[jch4v]

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to let you all know of a purchase that I made yesterday that made me VERY happy!

I am still pretty new to this forum and to Guitar Building in general. It was hard for me to finally figure out all of the steps in the building process... and even more confusing for me to figure out how to get the wood I needed. A lot of people on the forum said I should just go to a local Lumber yard/Mill and ask around... that I would be pleased with the results. They were VERY RIGHT.

Yesterday I went to a Lumber Mill that was 10 minutes from my house in Staunton, VA. First of all, it was HUGE. They had rough sawn Kiln Dried lumber... Just to name a few kinds: Walnut, Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Tiger and Curly Maple, Poplar, Rainbow Poplar, Butternut, Cedar, Ash, Oak, and MANY MANY more.

I walked in thinking that the Guy would be pissed that I only wanted a few boards. I was WRONG. He took like 1/2 hour to show me around and explain all the different kinds of wood to me. He told me to come by ANYTIME to ask questions. He was so NICE.

I ended up buying a board of Beautiful Walnut measuring Approximately 2" X 11" X 52"

AND

A board of BEAUTIFUL Tiger/Curly Maple measuring 1" X 6" X 48"

And it all only cost about $60!!!!!!!!!

Now I just need to figure out how to turn rough sawn into surfaced and planed blanks fit for use.

J

[Drak]

Go back and ask that guy if he knows anyone who does millwork for customers local to him and you, I'll bet he does. Tell him what you're doing with the wood.

Use those resources!

Congrats on the purddy wood.

[MzI]

Pictures!!!!!!!!! We want pictures

MzI

[javacody]

Dang! Good score! How do you find sawmills, are they in the phone book?

[jch4v]

Actually, I looked under Hardwood and Lumber. It brought up a lot of hits, and in the beginning I made the mistake of just calling them up on a list and asking if they carried Mahogany. None of them did, so I just figured that they wouldn't have anything else that I could possibly want and didn't bother to see what kind of wood they DO have. Obviously there is a slew of other woods that can be used in guitar making and they grow right here in the US. I think I am going to start just using the indigenous lumber that is accessable before I go making a big deal trying to get Bubbinga or Cocobola or some other kind of Super-exotic hard to find species!

J

[Drak]

I think I am going to start just using the indigenous lumber that is accessable before I go making a big deal trying to get Bubbinga or Cocobola or some other kind of Super-exotic hard to find species!

My God, someone actually using good ole' common sense?

Unheard of I tell you!

[javacody]

Yeah, we have some great wood here in the US, Walnut being one of my favorites. Swamp Ash and Alder are up there at the top of the list, too.