kharmachanic Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 Newby here.. So I will start with what is probably a pretty easy one.. I acquired (free) 2 large and very heavy doors, they claimed they were Mahogany and approx 20 years old. my goal is/was to harvest the wood for making small instruments. It had a redish stain .. so I took a quick finish sand to this and it actually looks a little more like Oak .. but like I said Im new to this The wood is 2.5 in thick, there appears to be some straight grained (quartersawn?) pieces and when sanded even after 20 years it gave off a very strong and distinct smell kinda like sandlewood or even some KOA I worked with once.. Can anyone give me an idea.. these are pics of the door and a couple close-ups of the grains.. any assistance is helpful.. I tried to attach the images but it would not let m e.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 well first off its not quarter sawn you can tell by the flame wood grain. the smell could be from the finish that you took off so you cant realy trust that indicator. kinda hard to tell. where do you live so we can tell if its domestic or exotic. also if you can end grain can make huge difference. realy had to tell because the wood going across almost looks like realy good quality oak. or because of the redish finish there is still some color to it so the color almost look like cherry. how heavy is the door? if you cut it does it splinter badly around the cut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenaissanceWW Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 Sure looks like Red Oak to me. The visible medullary rays in the flat sawn section, open grain pattern and color all speak Quercus rubra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick LoDico Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 +1 on the red oak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kharmachanic Posted March 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 as far as splintering I have not made any cuts it at all.. as far as weight I can lift each door by my self but I hurt afterward.. they are Very heavy.. I put up a link with a few more pictures some of the end grain, (but did not knock all the finish off) If this turns out to be Oak I have no need for it.. that is why I am curious.. if they are Oak I will just attempt so find them a new home, as I dont really want to expend the effort dismantling these if I cant use the wood for what I am doing.. as for the strong sandlewood smell I am pretty sure it is the wood.. I scraped some in the area where the locks were install (where there was no finish) and got the same scent.. ) if you go here there is a flash image gallery.. http://islanddude.com/doors/ thanks guys for all your help.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 you can probably make some decent money off of some big heavy door like that. maybe you should think of refinishing it and selling it to someone who is building there home. someone might want some heavy matching oak doors. or you said instruments (What kind) posibly taking the wood and making some cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kharmachanic Posted March 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 I sent these images to a local lumber company and the rep said there just happened to be a door manufacturer in house at the time. and based on the fragrance of the wood and the appearance .. he believes it might be Spanish Cedar... Which I can build ukuleles out of.... (that is the small instrument) But I arraigned to get a cabinet maker friend to stop by this week and put the evil eye on it and see if I could get a confirmation.. I thought about refinishing them.. and that is still an option.. the problem is after the time spent refinishing them.. SELLING them .. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 let us know what you find out because now i have the bug and want to know what they are. i dont think they are red oak just dont seem porus enought especial the end grain maybe white oak but color looks little bit off. the lumber company could be right and it could definatly be a type of spanish cedar its usualy prity strait like your side pieces are but it is often cut with with lots of grain like you cross pieces are. kharmachanic do you make alot of musical instruments? if so i have a idea about using my lathe to make musical instrument. i have seen flutes and whistle made on the lathe and made whistles myself but i want to make something like a native american flute, some kind of drum, some kind of guitar (probably the hardest.) lets see if we can come up with a new musical instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodLight Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 I'm not too familiar with Spanish Cedar, but I've read that it's characteristics are similar to Mahogany. If so then it could be good for instrument backs, sides and necks. Just a few notes on choosing instrument wood, though: As others have said the wood you have isn't quartersawn. Quartersawn wood is generally the best wood for acoustic instrument bodies because of its greater strength, stability and even tonal characteristics. That said, flatsawn woods have been used with success in some instruments, including early archtop Gibson guitars from the early 1900s - I have a 1913 model that has a strange sound which I love. And on an instrument as small as a uke it might make little different for the back and sides. The quartersawn aspect is generally most important for the top of the instrument (this is really where the heart of the sound comes from), but for that you'll want to use a softer wood - spruce, red cedar, even a well chosen piece of pine (good luck finding one that would work unless you've got old-growth wood from an old barn). Go with spruce or cedar. Just some thoughts to keep in mind. It looks like beautiful wood regardless and even if you don't wind up using it in an instrument, you can hold onto it for other projects. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kharmachanic Posted April 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Confirmed: Spanish Cedar.. and this is what I ended up with after the "dismantling" http://islanddude.com/doors1/harvested%20wood/ and as a bonus.. I found out that the glass panels - Double paned insulated tempered beveled panels 10 1/8" x 15 5/8" x 5/8" are worth over 80.00 each new.. got 16 of them.. lol anyone need some glass panes? They are for sale.. so seems that asking.. "what you gonna do with them doors" was good question.. took a few hours to surgically remove everything.. not a perfect job but I should be able to recover at least 75% of the wood after final cleanup.. Should I get this project completed.. I shall post the results (ukulele) for your critic.. lol thanks again for all of your help.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 good to know ....is that rubarb in the bucket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kharmachanic Posted April 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 naw its the trim from the glass panes and panel insert.. kinda looks like Rhubarb dont it.. ? I hung on to it.. as I am a packrat.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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