Well, Sitka is preferable because it is the highest strength/weight ratio wood out there. And just what is "tone grade spruce?" Terry Farrell On Jul 30, 2010, at 9:13 PM, jimialeggio wrote: > Hi Terry, > > This is an interesting question, especially with tone grade spruce. > > After a number of bad, expensive Sitka purchases I've taken a > different route. As you mention, its hard to see the endgrain and/or > differentiate endgrain from endgrain saw marks. Another problem is > that run-out can blow away stock quite aggressively, and in my > experience its hard if not impossible to read the runout in the > rough stock. I'm giving up on wholesalers who are fine for lots of > other stuff, but not for this particular application. > > So I'm taking a different route. Future purchases will be red spruce > which is indigenous and plentiful in NE. Not only that, and this > is the kicker for me, there are any number of small, 1 or 2 man > quarter and radial sawn specialists in NE that I can talk to in > person, and specify exactly what I want before they saw...and I > don't need to buy 1000bf...2-3 hundred is fine. > > Red Spruce's strength #'s are very close to sitka's, and I'm of the > opinion that the spruce used for any board RC&S or otherwise is more > dependent the empirical experience of seeing how it performs in > relation to the spreadsheet predictions rather than assuming that > only one wood, ie sitka, will work. I actually think that sitka is > the default rc&s wood, because, quite reasonably it is indigenous to > Washington State where Del was developing his approach to rc&s > design. > > Doesn't answer your reading-the- endgrain question, but I understand > why you want to be careful. > > Jim I > > > > > > -- > Jim Ialeggio > grandpianosolutions.com > 978- 425-9026 > Shirley, MA >
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