Official Luthiers Forum!

Tim, can you get me a shipping rate to the Port of Providence, in Providence, Rhode Island USA?

Thanks...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I'm interested as well. Depending on shipping and price, of course.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

I'm interested depending on price.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Another concern may be that import duties to the US from Aus seem VERY high. But from Aus to Canada they are not so bad and then of course for Canada into the US they are not bad also. So once the numbers are crunched I would be willing to take the wood and re-saw and ship. We can certainly work out the details and I will work for wood for my time but expences will have to be covered in $$....plus I would probably buy a few sets as well.

Anyway, that is an option that you can all ponder if you like.

Thanks

Shane

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Canada

USDA gets involved with green wood also. Figure in the cost of fumigation and a slight delay in quarantine. Imported wood must be heat treated to kill bugs (kiln dried) or fumigated (with certified papers). Sap wood and bark, depending on species and origin country, can be a no-no in untreated wood. Good idea to check all this stuff out to avoid loosing the shipment. The import rules for green wood is very different than from kiln dried stuff, but can be done. Containers of green burls are brought in all the time, just check the rules carefully.

One other thing, tight stacked wet wood will mold

Man, I can't make a post without afterthoughts this morning

Depending on dollar value and shipment size start thinking of an import broker with an import license and fees.
Larry Davis38834.5083912037

Sounds like it would be wise to have this stuff kiln dried before bringing it over....

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

yes I most certainly would be interested as well, as I have said in our correspondances. Good idea Tim!!!
cheers
Charliewood
PS also a good idea Shane, I would love to pay minimal duties too charliewood38834.5450347222

Tim, I'd appreciate you keeping us posted on the port of call selected as the import point.

Shane in light of Larry Davis's post are you aware of what the rules apply in Canada?

Just doing some rough math a 2" x 10" x 36" and a 2" x 10" x 42" board should comfortably yield 6 flattop sets, which at $50 per board foot is about $90 per set FOB Australia. (Someone with a good resaw set-up would likely get a higher yield).      

EDIT: Shane I am liking your idea the more I think about it!Anthony Z38834.8621875

Count me in

Hesh, just me and you? How much wood can you stash at home?

Andy?....where are you?

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Given the issues Larry mentioned, I would prefer to not get unseasoned wood. I would much rather not have to deal with import issues with fumigation and mold and such.

Until we know exactly how much shipping is going to be, it's all conjecture as to whether this is financially feasible and beneficial. It's easy to look at pretty wood and want to jump at an opportunity to get it, but if the shipping is as expensive as I suspect, that $90 per set can almost double in cost. You haven't made the investment in bandsaw blades and time yet. At that point, buying pre-cut and dried sets is a better option. Just food for thought.

It's one thing if you are buying wood locally for $20 b.f. plus local tax, and a whole other game when you're talking $50 b.f. for wood that's on the other side of the planet and still wet.

I would be willing to pay $50 b.f. for wood that was dry and available locally, but the shipping and dryness make me hesitant.

If this comes already resawn into sets, that becomes a horse of a different color, and becomes more attractive.
Don Williams38834.8944907407

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I have imported freighter shipped wood from India, Rosewood and Ebony, so have been through the process and know the rules. I would not KD the wood just cause I don't like KD'd wood...except to frame a house with . Fumigation does the trick and, if the shippment is large enough, is not too big a deal, here and in India anyway. I could go into lots of details but I will wait to see if my services are desired and if they are I will link up with Tim and work out the technical requirements. My imported wood from India was not quarantined but was shipped with very good documentation. My usual Aussie supplier has expressed the HUGE duties one of his custmoers (One of the big Luthiery supply houses) had to pay for the sets he sent to them in the USA. I didn't have anywhere near the same fees bringing that same wood into Canada. I don't know if it was a one off but just thought it might be cheaper through the back door of Canada. Just a thought and I will stand-by!

Shane

Shane

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Canada

I'm interested, as long as it is NOT kiln dried.
-C

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

[QUOTE=Arnt] Might as well get a trailer![/QUOTE]

Or just move there.

Maybe Shane is the way to go on this one!! Lets get it together!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Tim and I will talk about this. If we can get things figured out in the next few days we will start another thread to check interest after more details on price and delivery are offered. Also, please know that Tim made this deal for a group buy to the OLF and not to any of us "local" tonewood guys and I want to honour that offer. So in my discussions with him I have refelected that. So if and when the prices come from some adding up the costs they will again reflect the "Group Buy" position he presented.

Stay Tuned.

Shane

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Canada

Kiln drying these days doesn't necessarily hurt the wood. There are kilns where the wood is simply stacked and stickered, and warm air is circulated through the wood. Yes, it accelerates the drying process, but it really doesn't hurt it one bit. Some folks argue their disdain for kiln drying, but then turn around and bake their wood in an oven before they use it. Go figure....
Just my opinion. I could be out in left field.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

[QUOTE=Shane Neifer]   Also, please know that Tim made this deal for a group buy to the OLF and not to any of us "local" tonewood guys and I want to honour that offer. Shane[/QUOTE]

hummmm...not to worry, Shane....$50.00 board foot..rough, wet timber...eating the fall down....wet wood tight stacked and wrapped in stretch wrap on a boat trip....100% risk to the buyer...can't speak for other "suppliers", but it's not a deal I could afford the risk on anyway. Might be a great deal for some.

I'm sure you are thinking of it, but a tally list piece by piece will provide some guideline of the fall down trim percentage. All wood quartersawn?

Absolutely Larry,

I am sure that a bit of number crunching will reveal that the sets aren't super cheap but this wood, like Koa, is going up in price. But I need to know all of the costs first and, like you say, a piece list. THen I would need to know what people want as I know some want neck blanks, archtop sets and probably flat top sets as well. BUT, I know that a lot of OLF'ers who like to have some of this wood don't have the capacity to process it and I would just like to see that everyone has an opportunity, regardless of their capacity to process wood, to access some of it if they wish.

Anyway, we are a ways away from loading any wood on any ship.

Thanks for the comments, they are certainly issues everyone should think about and they are also issues that everyone should realize that we 'suppliers' face in each wood purchase we make. If I could only show everyone the piles of wood that bought that doesn't make it!! Larry I am sure you would have those storys as well. It happens less as you get more experience but the result is that you typically just buy better quality logs. Anyway......

Shane

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Canada

Well said, Shane!! I more than applaud you for taking the project on as point man. I have a pretty good idea of how many hours you'll spend just grading out the wood for possible best yields.

Knowing the costs before hand is critical because these things are done by pre-payment. Early interest can fade when it's time to committ with a hefty up front payment.

Yes, we learn to buy more intelligently to survive, but we only make fewer mistakes. Wood study is never ending. Just this morning I finished sanding a fiddle back mahogany set going to England this afternoon. I was completely finished and ready to wrap the set when I flexed a side piece and discovered a hairline fracture in the wood...only one side piece and not the other. Lucky I had another raw piece to use, but the initial frustration (at myself) for missing the defect and/or losing the set and wasting the shop time sucks. More lucky (I guess) that it didn't get shipped to the client......whewwwww!!

Larry Davis38835.8798726852

I'm interested also.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Good to see you are all showing some interest.

I have had a Pm from Shane and we are in the process of working out the finer details.

Just a point to consider regarding grading:

All the boards will have already been graded on the basis of colour and figure so the recovery of premium sets should be attainable. There will be three main blackwood group to choose from from typical high fiddleback, birdeye/fiddleback and buttress riftsawn fiddleback.

We will keep you posted

regards

Tim

I'm in