Woods for Lute Construction

WOODS FOR LUTE CONSTRUCTION

Neckblock A piece of sycamore, mahogany, limewood, basswood, cedar of Lebanon, poplar, willow 130mm x 52mm x 77mm. Limewood is the easiest to carve, LIMEWOOD Ribs, [these are the separate strips of wood that make up the back] Sycamore, maple,[not rock maple], birds eye maple, plumwood, rosewood, kingwood, ebony, walnut, yew, cocobolo, ciracote, padauk, ash, macassar ebony, personally I use Central american cedar. QUEENSLAND MAPLE TASMANIAN BLACKWOOD Rib Spacers If you are using a dark wood for your ribs get strips in holly or sycamore or boxwood; if you are using light ribs get strips of ebony or rosewood or even sycamore stained black. You need about a dozen and the best measurement is 0.8mm thick x 2.5mm wide and 760mm long. You will need two ebony strips of the same size for the edges to the soundboard when the lute is nearly finished, I’d order these at the same time and get some spares, they are easily broken! SYCAMORE Endliner This is the little bent piece of pine or spruce that goes round the bottom of the lute inside where the endclasp is. You need a piece 360mm x 30mm x 8mm. BEECH Neck 360mm x 115mm x 35mm sycamore [NOT figured], maple, beech, Brazilian mahogany. QUEENSLAND MAPLE

Neck 360mm x 115mm x 35mm sycamore [NOT figured], maple, beech, Brazilian mahogany. QUEENSLAND MAPLE Neck Veneer I will be basing my design on veneering the neck with ebony as was most common in the baroque period. You can veneer with any hard dark wood JARRAH Pegbox This is made up just like a little box of the simplest construction. Use sycamore or beech. You need two pieces 305mm x 25mm x 10mm, one piece 65mm x 25mm x 25mm, one piece 25mm x 25mm x 25mm and one small thin sheet 300mm x 90mm x 2mm BEECH Bass Rider Use the same wood to match the pegbox, you need a piece 150mm x 100mm x 25mm. BEECH Soundboard A normal guitar sized soundboard set, to make up 560mm x 360mm. SPRUCE Bars They should be made of the same wood as the soundboard and also quartersawn, like the front. This is important, the year-rings should run parallel to the surface of the soundboard, not vertical like guitar bracing. You need enough to make 8 braces across the front 25mm deep x 6mm wide. [This is enough for spares, sometimes you can get enough off the sides of the soundboard pieces to make the braces, so if you have the chance, buy the thickest and widest soundboard pieces possible to cover the braces as well. However choose the soundboard first of all for grain quality, size for bars is just a secondary consideration!] Fingerboard Usually ebony, but you could use any hard dark wood, perhaps Jarrah would be good for the Australian party. 360mm x 100mm x 2mm

JARRAH Bridge Plumwood is the best for this but pearwood or sycamore or maple or walnut would do. Should be a nice straight even grained piece 230mm x 25mm x 12mm Pegs Again, plumwood is excellent and used in a lot of suviving instruments. Other woods which will work well are boxwood; lilac [syringia]; rock maple [but not ordinary syscamore]; beechwood; oak [though it's a bit rough]; rosewood; african blackwood; applewood. Pearwood I find rather too soft. Personally I like making my pegs out of cocobolo, - 24 pieces 130mm x 12mm x 20mm tapering to 10mm, plus how ever many spares you think you might need.