Is this piece worth the hastle for 4 book matched uke backs?

[willcall]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/151018032270 ... 157wt_1161

Hi all, I have been watching this piece on en=bay and thought I could get 2 bookmatched backs for a uke out of it.
Would it be worth the trouble at $17.50 per back + bandsawing & thicknessing???

Will

[kiwigeo]

I'd probably grab it at that price. If you cant use it for backs it'll make quite a few headstock veneers.

Seems like a waste to consign a piece of wood that nice to chopping board duty.

[Allen]

But what are you going to do about sides? You can't go and use something like that for a back without sides to match and have any hope of people not noticing.

[curly]

I reckon I could match sides for that Tas Oak with some Vic ash ( Euc regnans ) I've got .
It's similar deep curl fiddle . Some sides would easily come out of the fall down on larger instrument sets .
Pete

[liam_fnq]

I wouldn't pay that if I had to do all the hard work myself.

[Bob Connor]

A lot of Tas Oak/Vic Ash has figure like that.

Get down to Bunnings or Mitre10 or whatever your local hardware place is and start going through their gum tree sections.

You'll be amazed at what turns up at a much cheaper price than that.

Regards.

[Kim]

Another consideration is one of the main reasons why 'tonewood' dealers must up-charge for their product. It's not 'only' about the service of cutting and sanding a set for you, it's mainly about the gamble because when resawing the simple truth is that a board, any board, does not always convert as one would hope.

e.g. Tassie oak is a prime candidate for sap vein. The subject of the ebay auction may be a rather thin board, so chances it would open to reveal disaster are less likely than would be the case with a much thicker board. But that's the thing with wood, one never 'really' knows what lays just below the surface...That's part of what makes resawing so much like Christmas..it only take the thickness of a sheet of paper to hide all the surprises.

Cheers

Kim

[willcall]

Thanks for the input guys.
I had not thought about use as headstock veneers.
It is a nice looking piece but I think I will have a look at Bunnings.
I have seen some nice stuff there before.

Will