Category Archives: trees

The Black British Timber

2024
AL#152 p.41               
Kevin Aram                                                                                           

▪ All the native trees on the British Isles yield light-colored wood. And in the case of guitar-making materials, blondes don’t have more fun. That’s why Kevin Aram was delighted to find that marinating oak for scores of centuries in an all-natural soup of organic chemicals will turn it black, and that nature already did all the work. He also visits a friend and his wonderful old Stennor bandsaw.

Beautiful Bog Oak

2024
AL#152 p.38               
Gary Southwell                                                                                           

▪ Bog oak is the ultimate “sinker” wood. Giant oak trees sank into peat bogs thousands of years ago. Now they are being dug up, sawed into planks, and carefully dried. Innovative traditionalist Gary Southwell loves the stuff.

A Day with Luisa Willsher of Madinter

2024
AL#151 p.54               
Federico Sheppard                                                                                           

▪ An Art-school girl from the UK goes to Spain as a flamenco dancer. There she meets a guy who has a business selling wood to local luthiers. Things go well. The business grows and gets bought by StewMac, and now she’s VP of Global Sales. And if you go to their sawmill, you can pick up pelletized fuel of the finest rosewood. Mentions Bob Taylor.

Beachcombing for Cedar

2020
AL#141 p.38               
Gerry Chicalo                                                                                           

▪ All the guitar soundboards ever made don’t add up to a toothpick in the vast lumberyard of the timber industry. A stray cedar log that washes onto a beach in British Columbia can be lutherie gold, and harvesting it can be a lot of nice fragrant outdoor fun.

Questions: When is the Sap Down for Tree Cutting

2020
AL#139 p.70               
Tom Thiel                                                                                           

▪ They say to cut lutherie trees when the sap it down. But what does that really mean? Also, that old story about cutting the trees during the right phase of the moon might be more than a story.

Tropical Hardwoods: Global Perspectives and Outlook

2019
AL#138 p.6               
Michael Bashkin                                                                                           

▪ Michael Bashkin’s lutherie cred is unimpeachable, and it turns out that he previously had a career in forestry, with years of experience in many places from the tropics, to the temperate zone, to the arctic. So he knows a lot about trees and about wood. How should we feel about using the earth’s dwindling supplies of fine traditional woods to make our wonderful, precious guitars? And will our clients give us less of their wonderful, precious dollars if we don’t? Let’s ask Michael. This fascinating article is based on his 2017 GAL Convention lecture.

In the Footsteps of Mangore

2018
AL#133 p.6               
Federico Sheppard                                                                                           

▪ There are luthiers way up in the tributaries of the Amazon River. They have wood galore, and they are teaching large numbers of local kids to make their own instruments. But they are short on good sharp tools and modern information. Our intrepid adventurer Federico Sheppard sets out to address that lack by bring in donated tools and holding master classes. He was multi-tasking; on the same trip he researched and commemorated the 1931 visit of Agustin Barrios to the remarkable Teatro Amazonas, which you might recognize from the Werner Herzog movie Fitzcaraldo. And he got in some fishing.

In Memoriam: Victor Gardener

2007
AL#92 p.70               read this article
Chris Dungey                                                                                           

▪ Oregon violin maker Gardener was an influential luthier who lived a very long life. He is famous for mentoring younger luthiers in the skills of selecting and cutting trees (see “Logging Luthiers,” BRB2 p.446 AL#24 p.13). It always hurts when another member of the tribe passes on.

Meet the Forester: Andrea Florinett

2008
AL#93 p.38               read this article
Greg Hanson   Andrea Florinett                                                                                       

▪ Author Hanson spent two weeks in Switzerland harvesting and processing lumber and tonewood with the Florinett family, who supply the guitar business with 7000 quality spruce tops each year. Florinett is a certified forester who is as concerned with the healthy harvesting of tree stands as with making the most and best use of the wood. The morality of business is also his concern if he is to help his village, his country, as well as the future of his family business. This is a compelling look at an end of the lutherie business that few of us even think about. With 15 photos and a sketch of Picea abies subspecies.

Grading and Curing Lumber

2007
AL#92 p.54               read this article
Bruce Creps                                                                                           

▪ Creps’ business is dealing wood to luthiers. He gives advice on dealing with the mills that process your log, how to store and dry the planks, and (in AL #91) how to resaw it into useful instrument wood. Perhaps most interesting is the number of ills that can befall wood, both as a tree and while curing. Laying out boards for the prettiest sets and the greatest yield is also covered. With 18 photos and a drawing.

Resawing Lutherie Wood

2007
AL#91 p.40               read this article
Bruce Creps                                                                                           

▪ Just about everything you’ll need to know about setting up a bandsaw for resawing and getting the most yield from your lumber. The emphasis is on the Hitachi CB75F resaw, but much of the info will translate to other bandsaws. Included is a good side bar on resharpening bandsaw blades. With 10 photos and 6 drawings.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Woodchopper’s Ball

2007
AL#90 p.54               read this article
Bruce Harvie                                                                                           

▪ Specialty woodcutters must be the hardest working people in lutherie, but they also seem to have the most fun. Not just a woodcutter, Harvie is also a treasure hunter supplying luthiers in the trade with wooden jewels. This story is great fun. With 16 photos.

Adirondack Spruce Growth Rates and Accessibility

2005
AL#81 p.40   BRB7 p.302            read this article
Ralph Charles                                                                                           

▪ Man! How come red spruce is so expensive? And how come we can’t find a red spruce top as pretty as a piece of Sitka? Friends, if you look at enough old guitars you’ll realize that Adirondack spruce tops were rarely tight-grained, perfectly straight, and perfectly quartered all at the same time. The big stands of Eastern spruce may have been harvested 60 years ago, but forester Charles is here to say that the trees never grew with luthiers in mind. Man has had a random hand in growing red spruces for generations, and so have beavers. Conditions in the woods can change rapidly. It’s wild out there! To amateur naturalists this is exciting stuff. With 5 photos and a chart.

Meet the Maker: Jeffrey Yong

2004
AL#78 p.46   BRB7 p.200            
John Calkin   Jeffrey Yong                                                                                       

▪ Yong hails from Malaysia, a country not often associated with fine lutherie. Nevertheless, he makes a lot of instruments that look very contemporary and tasty, and he has access to varieties of wood that would make many of us very envious. With 10 photos.

They Eat Linseed Oil, Don’t They?

2004
AL#77 p.28   BRB7 p.160            read this article
Stephen Frith                                                                                           

▪ Frith travels to Austria to mill spruce with Tobias Braun, and suggests that other luthiers might like to treat themselves to such a holiday. See the world, spend time in the outdoors, and collect some European spruce at a remarkable price! With 9 photos of sawmill mayhem to whet your appetite.

Lutherie Trivia

2002
AL#69 p.46               
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ The wry Somogyi presents some little-known information that may not improve your work but will nicely occupy your mind as you carve a neck for the 50th time, or whatever. The meaning of many words has drifted so far from the roots of those words that, in the strictest sense, we no longer know what we are talking about, even though we continue to communicate very nicely. Mostly. A fun piece.

Questions: Recycled/Reclaimed Wood

2000
AL#62 p.64   BRB6 p.11            
Dave Maize                                                                                           

▪ Building demolition, street trees, blowdowns, flooding, and naturally killed trees as sources for recycled/reclaimed woods.

Meet the Maker: Linda Manzer

1998
AL#56 p.16   BRB5 p.256            
Cyndy Burton   Linda Manzer                                                                                       

▪ Through her artistic merit, dogged determination, and sheer grit, Manzer has risen to the top ranks of her profession. This interview covers her background and training, work ethic, favorite woods, and other lutherie intimacies. With 10 photos.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Review: Wood: The Best of Fine Woodworking

1998
AL#55 p.63   BRB5 p.477            
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this collection of magazine articles will furnish new information to woodworkers of all experience levels. It should also encourage many to harvest their own wood supply and show them how to make it into a material worthy of their best work.

Rocky Mountain Tonewood Alternatives

1997
AL#51 p.24   BRB5 p.84            
Don Musser                                                                                           

▪ Musser offers a peek at varieties of top wood you may never have considered, and finds them promising. The varieties are white fir, sub-alpine fir, Colorado blue spruce, and one that may be a hybrid. Includes four photos of sectioned logs.

Wood Identification for Luthiers

1997
AL#49 p.44   BRB5 p.30            
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Robison describes wood identification as an adventure. You’ll need some reference books and a microscope, and a computer wouldn’t hurt. Ever see an instrument trimmed in smokewood? How do you know, Sherlock? Without a little scientific trickery your guess could be wrong either way. Get with the program. With 6 photomicrographs of softwoods.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

1997
   LW p.2            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Common tree names will usually get you by, but there’s nothing like knowing a few scientific names.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Glossary of Basic Wood Terms update

1997
   LW p.5            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Terminology of lumber biz.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Top 40 Wood List

1997
   LW p.10            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Range descriptions, scientific nomenclature, wood description, and uses in lutherie.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Wood Bibliography

1997
   LW p.23            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Where to look for objective information about trees and wood.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

The Jakaltek Maya Guitarria

1996
AL#47 p.20   BRB4 p.350            
Carol Ventura                                                                                           

▪ When these Guatemalans decide to build an instrument they begin by hacking a tree out of the jungle. Read this and you may never bad-mouth your suppliers or instruction books again. With 32 step-by-step photos of the birth of a guitarria.

A Walk in the Suburban Woods

1995
AL#42 p.22   BRB4 p.184            
Keith Hill                                                                                           

▪ A maker of classical guitars harvests some strange local trees to try out as instruments.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Meet the Maker: Jim Roden

1994
AL#40 p.38   BRB4 p.114            
Jonathon Peterson   Jim Roden                                                                                       

▪ Roden is a dulcimer maker and a forester, so he understands that we need to preserve forests and we need to cut them, too. He freely addresses both sides of the coin.

Review: A Guide to Useful Woods of the World

1994
AL#39 p.46   BRB4 p.458            
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds the book to be accurate and that the authors and editor did their best to escape the dry, technical aspects of wood science.

Review: New Zealand Timbers by Norman C. Clifton

1994
AL#39 p.51   BRB4 p.463            
Marc Worsfold                                                                                           

▪ This book only concerns itself with wood varieties that grow large enough to harvest for lumber. In that light, the reviewer finds it to be an “excellent, well-researched book that gives a different view of New Zealand resources other than sheep.”

CITES Tree List

1993
AL#34 p.5               
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Any artifact containing wood from a CITES tree might be impounded at any international border. This list may help you if you travel or do import/export.

Brazilian Tonewoods

1993
AL#33 p.9   BRB3 p.275            read this article
Roberto Gomes                                                                                           

▪ Straight from the horse’s mouth—a Brazilian guitar maker talks about Brazilian tonewood. Ever wonder what a living rosewood tree looks like? Well, wonder no more. With 6 photos and a range map.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

The Great White Sitka

1993
AL#33 p.26   BRB3 p.290            
Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ How does one hack a log that’s 11′ wide into 4000 guitar tops? Very carefully! With 9 photos detailing the decimation of Moby Spruce. By the way, this is a log that Steve McMinn rescued from the pulp mill.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Sustainability: An Issue Facing Luthiers

1993
AL#33 p.40   BRB3 p.298            read this article
John Curtis                                                                                           

▪ Curtis is a wood dealer and a founder of WARP (Woodworkers Alliance for Rainforest Protection). Here he examines international law, species extinction, conservation, and local economies in the Third World. Oh yeah, and the American luthier’s place in this scheme.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

North American Softwoods

1992
AL#31 p.18   BRB3 p.226            read this article
Ted Davis   Bruce Harvie   Steve McMinn   Byron Will   David Wilson                                                                           

▪ As the large stands of old growth timber are harvested it is likely that quality tonewoods will come more and more from men who can take the time to harvest and pack out individual trees. Who are they, how do they work, and what’s their prognosis for the future? The discussion also introduces species that you probably never considered for top wood until now. With photos and range maps.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Whence Tree Names?

1992
AL#31 p.27   BRB3 p.235            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Those Latin tongue twisters actually mean something. Scholars actually find joy and amusement in many of the scientific names. You might, too.

Review: Identifying Wood: Accurate Results with Simple Tools by Bruce Hoadley

1992
AL#29 p.58   BRB3 p.467            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer decides this book isn’t perfect for the DIY wood analyzer, but it will do, especially since it’s the only game in town.

The Sawmill at Poussay

1992
AL#29 p.38   BRB3 p.174            
Gayle Miller   Ken Sribnick                                                                                       

▪ Visit a water-powered French sawmill that supplies tonewood to 350 luthiers. With 7 photos. Mentions George Miller.

Meet the Maker: Myles Gilmer

1991
AL#26 p.5   BRB3 p.42            
Todd Brotherton   Myles Gilmer                                                                                       

▪ Gilmer buys wood from all over the globe and sells it to a number of special interests in the woodworking field. He’s been around, he’s concerned about the forests and ethical harvesting, and he’s articulate. Without the Gilmers of America there would be very few independent professional instrument makers.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Opinion

1990
AL#21 p.56               
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Robison is concerned about the plight of the world’s tropical forests, but pleads that a boycott of rain forest wood will backfire on the would-be conservationists.

Amazon Timbers Update

1989
AL#19 p.46   BRB2 p.302            
Todd Taggart                                                                                           

▪ Taggart’s prognosis for the future of traditional tonewoods is gloomy, but his experiences with controlled wood harvesting in South America shine a ray of hope on the situation. He also mentions solar box cookers, which can substitute for firewood in many third world countries where firewood is the chief use of timber. Taggart emphasizes conservation rather than alternative woods.

Stalking Northwest Tonewoods

1989
AL#18 p.6   BRB2 p.210            
Bruce Harvie   Casey Wood                                                                                       

▪ This is a Q&A session from the S. Dakota convention. The answer folks not only harvest and sell a wide variety of “designer” tonewoods, they are well up on alternative woods for lutherie. Very informative, and fun.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

World Forest Outlook

1988
AL#16 p.33               read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison   Perry Thomas                                                                                       

▪ Only 6% of the rain forest harvest is exported, only 20% is used for timber, and 80% of the trees cut are burned. Pollution may ultimately represent as much of a threat as the chain saw. This article tries to get a handle on the situation.

Indian Import and Export

1987
AL#11 p.22   BRB1 p.428            read this article
Gulab Gidwani                                                                                           

▪ A well-known importer and dealer of tonewoods relates some of the difficulties of doing business with third-world nations, such as getting a sawyer of railroad ties to cut fretboards.

‘Way Down Upon the Amazon River

1987
AL#10 p.53   BRB1 p.412            read this article
John Curtis                                                                                           

▪ A wood merchant relates the difficulties of getting lumber out of the jungle, and why the rain forest isn’t being replanted.

African Rosewood

1987
AL#9 p.46   BRB1 p.338            read this article
John Jordan                                                                                           

▪ Jordan catalogs and describes nine rosewoods from Africa, and nine false rosewoods. Some max out too small for instruments but are of interest to wood collectors. Others should interest the open-minded luthier.

Ed Arnold, String Tie Kind of Guy

1986
AL#7 p.21   BRB1 p.248            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison   Ed Arnold                                                                                       

▪ Robison interviews Arnold about harvesting wood in Mexico and dealing it in America.

South American Rosewood

1985
AL#4 p.31   BRB1 p.132            read this article
John Jordan                                                                                           

▪ Jordan describes 14 varieties of rosewood, and 14 varieties of false rosewood. Some max out as large shrubs, and only offer interest to wood collectors. Others are of high interest to luthiers, or should be.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Dalbergia Nigra and Friends

1985
AL#1 p.32   BRB1 p.14            read this article
William Cumpiano   Bruce Hoadley                                                                                       

▪ In this interview with well-known author and wood expert Bruce Hoadley, Cumpiano seeks to clear up certain questions about Brazilian rosewood relating to identification and confusion with other Dalbergias and so-called rosewoods.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Meet the Maker: Victor Gardener

1982
GALQ Vol.10#3 p.16   BRB2 p.158            
Frederick-C. Lyman-Jr.   Victor Gardener                                                                                       

▪ Gardener was an independent sort from Oregon who built closely in the style of the violins of the classic period in Italy. Mentions Hans Weishaar. With 2 photos.