Cleaning out the woodshed - Part I

[hilo_kawika]

G'day Matthew,

Sorry for the recipe delay. Here's the BBC recipe:

http://www.ukuleles.com/FunThings/Sumotori.html

Enjoy, and please don't forget to open the can!

aloha,

Dave Hurd

[Bob Connor]

Hey you young blokes.

If it were me I'd be spending the money on schoolies week as well.

PM me your postal addresses and I'll make sure the Koa gets through to you

[Lillian]

I know its off topic, but what's "schoolies week"?

[Kim]

I know its off topic, but what's "schoolies week"?

Hey Lillian,

Schoolies is a week of debauchery undertaken by seventeen year olds. It is akin to Pompey and represents a celebration to an end of University level entry exams and High School. Some also suggest that it is a week to celebrate ones alleged awakening to adulthood. However scant observation of the event is required to reveal that this is bollocks.

Sure wish I could go

Cheers

Kim

[Lillian]

Ah, Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale Florida.

[hilo_kawika]

Scraps seem to be all gone now unless anyone is interested in pieces only 3" wide. Please don't send any payments unless you contact me first.

aloha,

David

[jeffhigh]

Wow,
Here Already
Some lovely pieces with 3d curl
Thanks to David for his generosity of spirit true Hawaiian style.

[kiwigeo]

Goody....mine cant be far away then.

Thanks alot David.

[Dominic]

Wow Dave, Thanks for the stuff. Very pretty wood.
Cheers
Dom

[Allen]

I can't pick mine up till Wednesday, Looking forward to it though.

[kiwigeo]

Hey Allen, I can pick your wood up for you!

[Allen]

Right oh. Swing by and grab a beer while your out.

[kiwigeo]

David,

The wood arrived today......absolutely smashing parcel of wood. Thanks very much.

Cheers Martin

[josh_cain]

Mine also arrrived today.

Big thanks to David and Bob.




josh

[jmuller92]

yeh mine arrived today too, what a fantastic pack! endless thanks to bob and david for their generousity

[Allen]

I got mine yesterday, and I'm really impressed by the little treasures that I found. Showed some others at the Woodworkers Guild, and I was lucky to get out with parcel in hand.

Thanks Mate.

[joeven]

I'm a packrat - there it is. I can't bear to throw nice looking, figured koa wood away even when I can't use it. So when I've re-sawed pieces there's always singles left over that can't be stuck to another piece for a top or back.

But now SWMBO says it's time to let go.

If anyone wants this stuff for the price of postage, it's yours. The general dimensions of the pieces are 5"x13"x 1/16-1/8". They should be great for headstocks, soundhole inlay Xmas tree ornaments and whatever your mind can come together with. A fixed rate International Priority Mail box with inner dimensions of 11 7/8" x 3 3/8" x13 5/8" costs ~$40 US to ship to Oz. I've already sent a couple of care packages of wood to Oz and customs wasn't a problem.

There are also thicker pieces of smaller dimensions if you want to re-saw your own stuff.

Please PM me if you're interested and we can work out details.

Dave

I'm a friend of Allen McFarlen and live in the same city. He has told me about your free give away and if not too late I would gladly help you clean out your shed. I'm a woodworker and not yet a luthier but will start my first guitar early next year with Allen's help and assistance. Presently I'm making small boxes with exotic woods as a feature inlay on the lids. Pieces 300 x60 x3-5mm are ideal. Happy to pay postage for a small box of whatever is left in your shed. Thanks

Joe Venables
PO Box 6328
Cairns
Queensland
Australia 4870

[hilo_kawika]

G'day All,

I'm happy that the koa has found good homes. I'm still rummaging around the basement and "letting go" and will see if anything else worthy shows up.

Joe, I was wondering what to do with all the leftover ukulele sides I have. Let me make some measurements and I'll PM you later.

aloha,

David

[sebastiaan56]

Aloha David,

Well my care package arrived today, many thanks, there are some seriously pretty pieces in there. How does Koa go as a bridge material?

I also got David's book "Left Brain Lutherie". There seems to be a lot to digest there but the language does not appear overly technical. Thx

[hilo_kawika]

Aloha Sebastiaan,

The Kamaka ukulele factory has been using koa for bridges for nearly 90 years. But having said that, I've repaired a lot of warped koa bridges on old Kamaka's.

I suggest that an inherently stiffer material such a ebony or rosewood would (wood) make a better long term solution.

Koa is such an interesting material for instruments. It seems to be intermediate in tonal properties (like mahogany) between classical hardwoods and softwoods. An all koa instrument generally isn't edgy but more comfortable sounding. When I made nylon string guitars, I called them Olu'olu (pleasing, comfortable). My vision was that if someone had played a steel string guitar on a gig and got home and still had more music inside, they could play my Olu'olu guitar...forever.

Take your time with the book. It took me forever to write it so please don't feel that you need to inhale everything at one sitting...

aloha,

David

[ap404]

Thanks David, I got my package today ( opened and inspected twice on it's way but still intact ) and WOW, perfect timber for headstock overlaying etc ...

I had that same thought about using it for bridges. I have a few nice old mahogany ukes here that need rebuilding, maybe a koa bridge or two would be a good place to start.

Cheers David,
AP

[hilo_kawika]

G'day joe,

I've sent you a PM.

Dave Hurd