Poplar wood!

[Deleted]

Look at what I just bought! 15 boards, around 12' long and 14 to 16" wide and 1" thick.

 This is what was left over from the trees that had fallen here on the property. The guy that owned the wood asked me today if wanted to buy all of it. It was an all or nothing deal. So I bought the wood. He sold it to me cheap enough. So we made a deal.

 We moved the wood into my shop, where it will stay for a long time. I have some furniture to make. So this wood will get used for a lot of things. If I can find some more hard wood to make a guitar neck out of, I might, will make me one more guitar. LOL! I don't think this wood would be good for an acoustic guitar. That is what I really like to do.

Well, here are two pictures of the wood.

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Great deal! I love poplar. It is everywhere in this part of the US.

Look forward to seeing what you do with it.

John

[Deleted]

Dec 28, 2023 13:22:05 GMT -6 GuitarAttack Forum said:

Great deal! I love poplar. It is everywhere in this part of the US.

Look forward to seeing what you do with it.

John

Thanks, John!

 This poplar is some that many will never see again. Once this wood is gone, it's gone! I have not seen poplar with so much character. The amazing thing is when I thickness plane it. WOW! This wood really starts to pop! As you can see on, a couple of guitar builds. When I get on my other computer, I'll post some pictures of other things I made from this wood.

 There are a lot of projects in this pile of wood. One thing I'll be making is a coffee table to match our TV stand I made.

 You know John, if it had not been for Guitar Attack, I would have never gotten into wood working. I never dreamed that I could make guitars, and guitars have led me into doing and making other things out of wood. So, thanks for all you do and have done for me and others!

[Deleted]

 Here are a few projects that has been made from this wood!
Headboard we made from this wood.

The headboard does have lighting and a power strip installed.

shelving for the bathroom

[dnic]

Nice things Justin. It's cool to make your own home furnishings.

[antares]

That sure is nicely figured wood, and a tantalising glimpse of that beyond cool guit-fiddle. I like the lighting in the headboard too.

You know, wasn't it Bob Taylor who went out into the yard and fork-lifted a pallet from which he made a great acoustic guitar? (complete with visble oval cut nails.) Someone accused him of having the best choice timbers from which to make guitars and he rose to the challenge. Despite it was pallet wood, by all acounts it still sounded great.

I'll stick to hacking away at banjo headstocks and leave the Michaelangelos to the craftsmen!

[Deleted]

Dec 31, 2023 9:17:10 GMT -6 antares said:

That sure is nicely figured wood, and a tantalising glimpse of that beyond cool guit-fiddle. I like the lighting in the headboard too.

You know, wasn't it Bob Taylor who went out into the yard and fork-lifted a pallet from which he made a great acoustic guitar? (complete with visble oval cut nails.) Someone accused him of having the best choice timbers from which to make guitars and he rose to the challenge. Despite it was pallet wood, by all acounts it still sounded great.

I'll stick to hacking away at banjo headstocks and leave the Michaelangelos to the craftsmen!

I am not sure if this wood would hold up as thin wood. At least for an acoustic guitar. If it held up as an acoustic, I am sure it would sound good.  The wood has a good ring to it if I tap on it.

 But with the spalting in it, I think it would be weak to use as an acoustic guitar top. Bending the wood for the sides would be the other thing. But I have enough small pieces around that I could plane it down to see what happens to it if I plain it down.

 I did see that video or one like it where someone took pallet wood and made an acoustic guitar.  There is another guy who makes them out of closet doors. They, too, don't sound bad. They just look cheap. LOL!

 But I would still need to find some hard woods for the neck. I am out of hard wood for making a neck. So if I can find some at some point, I may have to try my hand out in making an acoustic guitar. It can't be any harder than making an ES335 guitar. Right?

[dnic]

I do have some experience with both acoustic and 335s so... I think the acoustic is on the more difficult side of the road.

I built a guitar with a poplar neck with just a truss rod and no CF. In fact it was a single one way truss road. That neck has help up beautifully. Just saying you don't have to have the best hardwood for necks. Of course I wouldn't build that neck for resale at this point in my life. But if you're building for your own fun it works.

Bob Taylor is famous for his pallet wood guitar. Just read Your comment again Steve, I concur, Bob.

[Deleted]

Dec 31, 2023 23:35:43 GMT -6 dnic said:

I do have some experience with both acoustic and 335s so... I think the acoustic is on the more difficult side of the road.

I built a guitar with a poplar neck with just a truss rod and no CF. In fact it was a single one way truss road. That neck has help up beautifully. Just saying you don't have to have the best hardwood for necks. Of course I wouldn't build that neck for resale at this point in my life. But if you're building for your own fun it works.

Bob Taylor is famous for his pallet wood guitar. Just read Your comment again Steve, I concur, Bob.

Yes, I too have made many necks out of poplar. Have had no problems out of them. But the wood I have on hand (Poplar) Is not what I would make a neck out of, Too much spallting in it. Guess I could get some from Home Depot or Lows.

 Dane here is a question for you,,, I know how the necks are set in on an acoustic guitar. I also know that some acoustic guitars have a bolt in neck. But how come no one ever sets in a neck like a set neck in a slab guitar? Why is that no one make the block a little longer for better support? I don't see where a longer block would really affect the sound of the guitar. And over time, I bet that guitar would not need a neck reset. This is some things I have been thinking about. Even been thinking on the sound bars that go on the top. There has to be a better, an easier way of doing something that would be just as good if not better. Just because acoustics have been made in the way that most are made does not mean it has to be done that way. I am always trying to think out of the box of doing things, I have thought on acoustics and how they are made for many years, Even before I was making guitars.

 I remember one acoustic I had many years ago that had pretty much come unglued. This was before I was making guitars, and I wound up putting the guitar in the trash. That is where I starting thinking or wondering why would they make a guitar in the way they do them. I, too, have worked on a lot of guitars over the years. To me, acoustic guitars have had the most problems. To me, it's because of the way they have been made.

 Any thoughts?

[dnic]

Probably nobody cares but the acoustic is veering off course for this thread. So I will comment in Rabbit trail.

[dnic]

And I agree spalted wood any spalted wood should not be used for necks. The one I did was a thru neck and it was Q sawn.