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Mahogany Body Trouble


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I purchased a mahogany body blank on ebay for a first build (I can link you to it if thats allowed). It has been sitting uncut in my garage (in a controlled atmosphere) since the 11th of Jan at least.

but I recently got a email from some one else who also bought 2 blanks from the same ebayer, but both his split and warped when he cut them because the wood was of inferior quality. Now that puts me in a bit of a pickle because I cant get a refund, but it is uncut, is there any way of telling whether it will be rendered useless as soon as I cut it? Or should I just go for it and hope?

Thanks

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i dont belive that the wood split and warped because of the quality. he has it all wrong. i am 99.342% sure that it warped because it was not dry enough to start working with.( the highest usable moisture content is about 8-9 percent, and that is pushing it) i would ask the seller how long the wood has been dry. and yes you can give a link. i would like to see it.

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Heres the link, the first line of description under the pictures states that it is kiln dried, but I will message him to find out the extent of the drying.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...N:IT&ih=022

and heres parts of one of the messages from him, he is aware of the kilning process, may be he just worded it wrong.

My father in law who is a joiner said the wood was of inferior quality.I just wanted to know if anyone else had the same problem as I did or was I just unlucky.The thing is if he is selling a lot of this wood and it's splitting or warping then he's obviously not going through the kiln drying process properly.Guitar wood needs to be dried over a couple of years....not a week or so...do you see what I mean.
Edited by Neil Beith
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that doesnt really make sense to me. sure wood can be of low quality, but that isnt what makes it warp and split. if it is milled right and cut right there shouldnt be any problems like that. i dont know what he ment by inferior quality. what kind of mahogany is it? it looks a lot like african(khaya) mahogany by the streaks it has.

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you better off payin higher money for good wood from reputable dealers

seal the ends with wax and set the piece aside for a year in a warm dry area before using

in the meantime buy a blank from USACG or warmoth

after you finish a guitar or two your brazil mahogany will be good to go if it dont split

warping or cupping as its known will machimne out

you get what you pay for

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Heartwood (ie, the very centre) of a tree will crack, split and move. In terms of flatsawn or quartered, if it actually is Brazilian/True mahogany it shouldn't matter too much, as shrinkage in radial and tangential directions is quasi identical (very stable wood).

Frankly, though, given the auction does not mention the word 'genuine' or 'south american' or anything indicating species, I sincerely doubt its brazilian/true mahogany. The African varieties (Sipo, Khaya, Sapele) are all related to the swetenias (same family), are all very similar to them, and The price is far too low for that; the cubic meter price over here for that, if bought in board form from a lumber yard, would be around 35 quid, without the VAT.

Also, Ray, you can't buy mahogany in board form from across the border any more. Not legally. Mahogany instruments, necks, bodies, etc. yes, body blanks or back/side sets, no. Not since it's been listed in CITES appendix II. Bascially, it's your local wood yard or finding someone willing to pay for all the paperwork on the other end, which for one or ten body blanks is going to be expensive (I believe a single export license is something like 100 bucks...)

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Heartwood (ie, the very centre) of a tree will crack, split and move.

exactly.

most likely to crack and have some signs of decay. and the piece you`ve got is almost the center. quartersawn on both sides, but with the center of the tree on the inside.

if you could split that in the middle, and glue the outer edges together, that would work just fine. you`ll end up with a 1/4sawn body blank.

Edited by Hector
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Heartwood (ie, the very centre) of a tree will crack, split and move. In terms of flatsawn or quartered, if it actually is Brazilian/True mahogany it shouldn't matter too much, as shrinkage in radial and tangential directions is quasi identical (very stable wood).

Frankly, though, given the auction does not mention the word 'genuine' or 'south american' or anything indicating species, I sincerely doubt its brazilian/true mahogany. The African varieties (Sipo, Khaya, Sapele) are all related to the swetenias (same family), are all very similar to them, and The price is far too low for that; the cubic meter price over here for that, if bought in board form from a lumber yard, would be around 35 quid, without the VAT.

Also, Ray, you can't buy mahogany in board form from across the border any more. Not legally. Mahogany instruments, necks, bodies, etc. yes, body blanks or back/side sets, no. Not since it's been listed in CITES appendix II. Bascially, it's your local wood yard or finding someone willing to pay for all the paperwork on the other end, which for one or ten body blanks is going to be expensive (I believe a single export license is something like 100 bucks...)

well said. at first i diddnt even bother looking at the end grain pic. what kind of mahoany is illigal to by by the board?

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if you could split that in the middle, and glue the outer edges together, that would work just fine. you`ll end up with a 1/4sawn body blank.
I may transfer to a neck through build now, would this be a good idea as if I glue the quarter sawn peices to an existing middle section I will have to use less of the dud mahogany over all?
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