Red gum

Talk about musical instrument construction, setup and repair.

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RodC
Myrtle
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Re: Red gum

Post by RodC » Mon Jan 17, 2022 9:59 am

I would be interested in any comments about Jarrah from anyone who has used it. Certainly works with mandolins, but I would be a but concerned about movement in bigger instruments.
Hi Peter,
Just a quick comment re Jarah,
Peter McGowan has stated that logging in WA native forest will be banned from 2024. So if you want to source Jarah for future builds you may need to have a look around and build up a bit of a stash. It may be a bit hard to come by in a few years.

I'm using it for the back and sides of 2 classical guitars (lattice braces as per the "books") and find it quite nice, but the figured stuff can be a bit twitchy on bends.

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peter.coombe
Blackwood
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Re: Red gum

Post by peter.coombe » Mon Jan 17, 2022 12:00 pm

Yes I know about the impending ban on logging. I did find a quarter sawn plank of Jarrah in the wood stash that I had forgotten about so I am ok for a while. Mostly straight grain, but has good colour. In the meantime I have sourced some figured Jarrah and am waiting for them to get back to me. They are closed for the holidays at the moment. That should be a lifetime supply if it pans out.
Peter Coombe - mandolin, mandola and guitar maker
http://www.petercoombe.com

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kiwigeo
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Re: Red gum

Post by kiwigeo » Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:23 pm

You could try ripping up a few sleepers from a local railway line :mrgreen:
Martin

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peter.coombe
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Re: Red gum

Post by peter.coombe » Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:45 am

You could try ripping up a few sleepers from a local railway line
Ha ha, yes well I started woodworking with Jarrah reclaimed from the old Blackwood (in SA) railway station. Dad worked for the railways and when they demolished the wooden platform when I was about 10yo, he scored some hefty Jarrah pieces. They must of been 6x4 inches and about 2m long. I had 2 years of woodworking classes in high school and after school I used to head for the shed and practice on a piece of old railway Jarrah. Those pieces were probably around 100yo left out in the weather, but inside the weathered surface wood was some old growth Jarrah that was just stunning. The shed ended up with a floor of Jarrah chips instead of dirt. At school we used Meranti, so no wonder I was the best in class. I gave away most of what I made from the railway Jarrah. The biggest project was a box for my sister to store her artist oil paints. Made entirely by hand and took me ages to make, but when I finished it she showed it to her art teacher and his jaw hit the floor. I was about 15yo then and recently she told me she still has it and still uses it every time she paints more then 50 years later.
Peter Coombe - mandolin, mandola and guitar maker
http://www.petercoombe.com

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