where to buy spruce or cedar for a classical guitar top ?

[kkmm]

I have a classical guitar that looks pristine (sides and back and neck), but the top is laminate and it did got de-laminated (imagine a parquet floor that was flooded with water for sometimes, it will bend up everywhere).

Replacing the top sound board is a good project for me to practice.

I need help on these:

1) where could I buy wood for classical guitar top (spruce or cedar) ?
2) what are the steps for removing the top sound board ?

Helps are greatly appreciated.
BTW: I am retired and doing work in instruments is my hobby now (besides playing music).

[Spruce]

...where could I buy wood for classical guitar top (spruce or cedar) ?

E%^y.

[Steve VandeWater]

A luthier friend of mine recently told me to look on Craigslist for free pianos. People get rid of them as long as you pick them up. Many are worthless in that it would cost too much to fix them, but the sound boards are usually spruce and can be salvaged to make guitar tops and/ or flattop mandolins. You just have to get rid of the rest of the piano after you break it up.

[Bill Snyder]

Lots of work to salvage spruce from a piano. For one top I would purchase the wood.
Google tonewood dealers or purchase from Stewart MacDonald or LMII.

[Steve VandeWater]

Agreed for a single top. I imagine a piano soundboard would provide a few tops. I had just never considered the piano angle and thought it was intetesting

[Bill Snyder]

Pianos for tonewood has come up in this or another forum I used to frequent. General consensus among those that have done it was that it was a LOT of work for just so-so wood. I don't recall anyone saying they would do it again.

[Steve VandeWater]

Interesting...and good to know. Btw, I like your avatar. I have a jack russell that looks a lot like your pooch

[peter.coombe]

There are many places you can get guitar tops. LMI and Stew Mac have already been mentioned, but Stew Mac would not be my first choice. You can also buy off that buyer beware place, as Spruce has already suggested. Some other suggestions -
http://rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store/
http://www.alliedlutherie.com/
http://www.tonewood.ch/

Peter

[kkmm]

I am looking for tone wood that has been cut to the right thickness. I have no way to cut the wood thin.
Seem like "alliedlutheries" has what I need.

[Mike-D]

http://www.colonialtonewoods.com/ is just up the road from me He has a good selection of nice top wood.. He was kind enough to give me a couple of pieces of spruce for a project I was working on.

Mike

[Bill McCall]

gilmer wood in Portland is a good source. I've dealt with them for almost 40 years.

[Marty Jacobson]

Orcas Island Tonewoods.

[Bill Snyder]

I thought about Bruce, Marty but his site does not show any flat top tops. Does he have them?
Hey Bruce do you have flat top tops?

[Michael Lewis]

I bet Bruce has wood but not thickness sanded and ready to use.

Allied Lutherie, StweMac, LMII, or many other suppliers can provide "ready to use" material. Otherwise find a cabinet shop with a "Time Saver" wide belt sander, and have them process your wood to size. There are cabinet shops just about everywhere.

[Rob Zamites]

My local woodworking shop charges a one time $65.00 set up fee, plus $65.00 hour, one hour minimum, just to sand one set of sides. Just a heads up that the 'local shop' isn't always a viable fiscal option.

[fox]

It is not easy to get soundboard wood where I live or, any form of quarter sawn wood, even the big suppliers only stock flat sawn wood nowadays.
I cant find anyone selling archtop soundboard material in the UK, there are plenty of builders who must have their own stock but I don't see any advertised for sale!

I recently paid a visit to our 'one and only' large building supplier who in fact stocks hundreds of tons of sawn wood.
I felt sure I could find some centre cut planks but "no" they only stock the outer cuts! The manager said that 30 years ago quarter sawn wood was the norm but now it is to expensive to buy & even the centre cuts are sold at a higher price so they just don't stock any.

[JeffD]

A luthier friend of mine recently told me to look on Craigslist for free pianos. People get rid of them as long as you pick them up. Many are worthless in that it would cost too much to fix them, but the sound boards are usually spruce and can be salvaged to make guitar tops and/ or flattop mandolins. You just have to get rid of the rest of the piano after you break it up.

A friend of mine did just that (pre-CL days) and made several mountain dulcimers out of each soundboard.

[Spruce]

Agreed for a single top. I imagine a piano soundboard would provide a few tops. I had just never considered the piano angle and thought it was intetesting

Forgetaboutit....
For a huge variety of reasons...

Orcas Island Tonewoods.

I really don't resaw guitar tops to thickness...sorry!
Lots of large billets, but no resawn tops...

[David Newton]

I always encourage people who suggest pianos for soundboard wood to do it. There are lots of free pianos out there. Everyone who thinks it a good idea should do it at least once.

"Spruce" showed where all the wood sellers are selling wood, lots and lots to choose from.

[derbex]

It is not easy to get soundboard wood where I live or, any form of quarter sawn wood, even the big suppliers only stock flat sawn wood nowadays.
I cant find anyone selling archtop soundboard material in the UK, there are plenty of builders who must have their own stock but I don't see any advertised for sale!

I came across exotichardwoods.co.uk in Kent (UK) Here's a link to their catalogue, even mentions archtops!

NFI, lifts may go up as well as down.

[fox]

So they do, thanks.... although is would cost a pretty penny for top & back!

[kkmm]

In summary, getting a new top is out of question for me as I can only start with a soundboard that has been cut and thinned to proper thickness, then I can go from there. The one that meet my expectation could be too expensive, I could use this money to buy an used guitar with a similar sound board.

[Spruce]

In summary, getting a new top is out of question for me as I can only start with a soundboard that has been cut and thinned to proper thickness, then I can go from there. The one that meet my expectation could be too expensive, I could use this money to buy an used guitar with a similar sound board.

Oh.

2) what are the steps for removing the top sound board ?

[Bill Snyder]

kkmm, do you have a hand plane? If you do you have a great tool for thicknessing a top. It goes faster than you think.

[kkmm]

Yes, I have hand planes, table saw, band saw (small one).
If the wood comes in a few mm thicker than needed, I can plane it down. But from a big stock of wood, I have no way to cut it.
I will postpone this project until later. I am working on converting a guitar to an octave mandolin at this time.