newcomer and bunnings guitar
- Steve.Toscano
- Blackwood
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- Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:43 pm
- Location: Port Stephens NSW
newcomer and bunnings guitar
Hi all. Newbie from Newcastle here.
Just an amateur luthier, almost finished making my first steel string acoustic. Have made a bunch of solid bodies over the years.
Anyway, just going to throw this out there - has anyone made a guitar purely out of timber from bunnings?
As a fun/strange project im interested in seeing what kind of solid body guitar i can come up with from bunnings timbers.
Just an amateur luthier, almost finished making my first steel string acoustic. Have made a bunch of solid bodies over the years.
Anyway, just going to throw this out there - has anyone made a guitar purely out of timber from bunnings?
As a fun/strange project im interested in seeing what kind of solid body guitar i can come up with from bunnings timbers.
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Welcome to the forum Felix,
I'm not the best person to answer your question.....you wouldn't get me into a Bunnings store even if you offered me a lifetime supply of Steinlager beer. Well thats not quite correct.....youd get me as far as the sausage sizzle outside the front door but once Id finished my sanger I'd be back in the car and on my home.
I'm sure you could probably knock up a half decent instrument if you poked around the wood stocks at your local Bunnings....it's just alot easier and less time consuming buying purpose supplied tonewood from reputable tonewood merchants.
I'm not the best person to answer your question.....you wouldn't get me into a Bunnings store even if you offered me a lifetime supply of Steinlager beer. Well thats not quite correct.....youd get me as far as the sausage sizzle outside the front door but once Id finished my sanger I'd be back in the car and on my home.
I'm sure you could probably knock up a half decent instrument if you poked around the wood stocks at your local Bunnings....it's just alot easier and less time consuming buying purpose supplied tonewood from reputable tonewood merchants.
Martin
- Trevor Gore
- Blackwood
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- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:11 pm
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
I was in a Bunnings the other day and had a quick look at available timbers. Radiata pine, tassy oak, meranti (dark and light red) and merbau; that was it. I'm not keen on tassie oak, though others around here are. I have quite a lot of stuff other than guitars made out of tassie oak and it moves a lot with humidity. If you can design around that, you may be OK. Merbau is a good, hard, stable wood and used to be available from Bunnies in good lengths, but all the stuff I saw on this recent visit was finger-jointed from pieces ~300mm long. Radiata and meranti work OK, as per this guitar which I made out of off-cuts etc. from a building reno. Be prepared to use multiple pieces for tops and backs of an acoustic guitar.
If you want to make a "different" guitar, I think the dumpster style instrument is more fun to build than a Bunnies special, though Martin might not be convinced that there was much difference! (except that dumpster quality might be better!)
If you want to make a "different" guitar, I think the dumpster style instrument is more fun to build than a Bunnies special, though Martin might not be convinced that there was much difference! (except that dumpster quality might be better!)
Fine classical and steel string guitars
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.
- Taffy Evans
- Blackwood
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- Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:54 pm
- Location: Charters Towers North Queensland
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Welcome to the fold. I have built guitars out of all the timbers mentioned by Trevtheshed over the years including a lap slide, a solid body guitar, Irish bouzouki, a mandolin and acoustic guitar. I do visit Bunnings a lot but have not bought any timber off of them.
Hey Martin I suppose you prefer to go to Otto s Timber in Adelaide.
Hey Martin I suppose you prefer to go to Otto s Timber in Adelaide.
Taff
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Their tonewood shelves are virtually bare these days...as is the serviceTaffy Evans wrote:
Hey Martin I suppose you prefer to go to Otto s Timber in Adelaide.
Martin
- Steve.Toscano
- Blackwood
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- Location: Port Stephens NSW
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Thanks guys. I just checked my local bunnings. They only have pine and tas oak. The biggest pieces of tassie oak they stock are 40mm x 18mm so not big enough.
Anyone know of a decent timber supplier in the newcastle area?
Ps. Ive already done a 'dumpster' solid body. Wanting to try a hardware store solid body.
Anyone know of a decent timber supplier in the newcastle area?
Ps. Ive already done a 'dumpster' solid body. Wanting to try a hardware store solid body.
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
I don't know if there is a Masters store up your way Felix .
I have seen nice Red Oak and Poplar on the shelves down here in Melbourne though.
Certainly not the cheapest way to buy Oak down here, and maybe Oak is not suitable for your needs.
The Poplar could be good though.
I have seen nice Red Oak and Poplar on the shelves down here in Melbourne though.
Certainly not the cheapest way to buy Oak down here, and maybe Oak is not suitable for your needs.
The Poplar could be good though.
- Taffy Evans
- Blackwood
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Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Here's the pine solid body, many pieces glued together to get thickness and size of outline.
I go around our local hardware/timber yard and keep checking their racks. Some years ago, over a few years, I bought all the new Guinea rosewood that was sawn on the quarter that they had. Made some great guitars out of it both acoustic and electric and still have stacks left. It was in 50mm thick boards and took me weeks to slice it up into backs sides and necks, but when I see the prices from Luthery suppliers, I'm way, way in front.
I go around our local hardware/timber yard and keep checking their racks. Some years ago, over a few years, I bought all the new Guinea rosewood that was sawn on the quarter that they had. Made some great guitars out of it both acoustic and electric and still have stacks left. It was in 50mm thick boards and took me weeks to slice it up into backs sides and necks, but when I see the prices from Luthery suppliers, I'm way, way in front.
Taff
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
You could try Hudsons at Gateshead
A few years ago I could walk into bunnings at Kotara and buy Jarrah......
A few years ago I could walk into bunnings at Kotara and buy Jarrah......
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- Blackwood
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- Location: Perth, WA
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
You'd be pushed to find decent jarrah at Bunnings, even in Perth, nowadays. They used to mill most of it years ago!jeffhigh wrote:
A few years ago I could walk into bunnings at Kotara and buy Jarrah......
Ken
- Tod Gilding
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Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
You Could Join Paul ( Ozwoods ) Band of tonewood raiders ( Bloody Novacastrians )but be warned that we Northerners Shoot to Killfelix wrote:Thanks guys. I just checked my local bunnings. They only have pine and tas oak. The biggest pieces of tassie oak they stock are 40mm x 18mm so not big enough.
Anyone know of a decent timber supplier in the newcastle area?
Ps. Ive already done a 'dumpster' solid body. Wanting to try a hardware store solid body.
Tod
Music is everyone's posession. It's only publishers who think that people own it.
John Lennon
Music is everyone's posession. It's only publishers who think that people own it.
John Lennon
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
hey fellow novocastrian, i went to master's at rutherford about a month ago and noticed they sell the red oak and poplar that rob mention's here. not too sure of the suitability for guitar making of the red oak, but i think i have seen guitar's, as in solid bodies made from poplar.auscab wrote:I don't know if there is a Masters store up your way Felix .
I have seen nice Red Oak and Poplar on the shelves down here in Melbourne though.
Certainly not the cheapest way to buy Oak down here, and maybe Oak is not suitable for your needs.
The Poplar could be good though.
good luck on your search and keep us up to date on any build progress felix, lots of pictures are always good.
cheers
geoff
- slowlearner
- Blackwood
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Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Hi, welcome to the forum.
I too looked into this a few years back and I've used some "bunnings" tas oak for a fingerboard, but that's it. Reason being, most of the timber they have in racks is warped up the wazoo. Not a straight piece as far as the eye can see... well as far as I could see. 18mm thick is actually a good size for a neck blank, but being that there is no room to for it to move, it's a little too small as you say. So I gave up my "bunnings bass" ideas a while back. Even the pine there is pretty aweful radiata. Full of knots and also warped as heck.
I'd try some local timber yards and they will even cut it down to size and machine it for you.
I too looked into this a few years back and I've used some "bunnings" tas oak for a fingerboard, but that's it. Reason being, most of the timber they have in racks is warped up the wazoo. Not a straight piece as far as the eye can see... well as far as I could see. 18mm thick is actually a good size for a neck blank, but being that there is no room to for it to move, it's a little too small as you say. So I gave up my "bunnings bass" ideas a while back. Even the pine there is pretty aweful radiata. Full of knots and also warped as heck.
I'd try some local timber yards and they will even cut it down to size and machine it for you.
Pete
- slowlearner
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Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Oh, BTW, I've had Tas Oak sitting on my shelves in the garage subject all sorts of changes in humidity for a year now. The 5mm thick fingerboard blank didn't move at all. As flat and straight as the day it was thicknessed.
Pete
- Steve.Toscano
- Blackwood
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- Location: Port Stephens NSW
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Thanks guys, yes i agree about the tas oak
- matthew
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Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Three years ago I built a double bass from well chosen quarter sawn Tas Oak and WRC entirely from Mitre Ten. It is a fabulous instrument and I have had no issues with wood shrinkage or movement. The flat back is cross-braced, 670mm wide and the ribs 210mm. Entirely glued with hide glue. You'd think that if there were stability issues these would have shown themselves by now. But a guitar back is a bit thinner, so I don't know what effect that would have.
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
TodTod Gilding wrote:You Could Join Paul ( Ozwoods ) Band of tonewood raiders ( Bloody Novacastrians )but be warned that we Northerners Shoot to Killfelix wrote:Thanks guys. I just checked my local bunnings. They only have pine and tas oak. The biggest pieces of tassie oak they stock are 40mm x 18mm so not big enough.
Anyone know of a decent timber supplier in the newcastle area?
Ps. Ive already done a 'dumpster' solid body. Wanting to try a hardware store solid body.
Martin Even the banger sangers are not what they used to be.
Steve
Re: newcomer and bunnings guitar
Bit late but there's mac's timbers at Belmont. They have all sorts of stuff there. And marshals timbers at Cardiff. I won't say any of the timber will be "excellent" but worth a call to see if they have anything decent. I've seen some nice rosewood at mac's from time to time.
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