Alternatives to maple caps?

PeteC

So on my current build I have decided to try a cap on the rather plain Idigbo. 

As it’s my first attempt at a carved top I don’t want to bugger up a £120 bookmatched maple top  - I will try maple once I have done at least one other successfully.  

what cheaper but nice woods are worth trying which will have the hardness and a nice figure ?

I was thinking perhaps sycamore , plane or walnut?  

MattNovak

Hi Pete, there's some cost-effective options here, cherry could be cool as some bits I've bought have some nice figuring / flame

 http://www.reidtimber.co.uk/guitar-tops.html ;

WezV

I went for Mahogany  on my first,  then rippled sycamore for the second which was still quite cheap compared to flamed maple, and near as damn it the same thing.  


You can use anything really.   Walnut carves really nicely.   Maybe avoid spalted maple or anything prone to tear out 

greggreg66

Do you have a planer thicknesser Pete? Regular sawn maple isn’t too expensive if you’ve the means to plane it 

PeteC

Thanks guys,

No thicknesser -  but I could always router plane and surface some rough sawn timber if I can source some.  I've done this for my body blanks so far. 

open to suggestions on where to source some rough sawn maple or rippled sycamore. 

greggreg66

Any decent timber yard will have rough sawn American maple, the rippled sycamore would be a bit more specialist I presume.

For some reason I think you're in the Leeds area Pete? A quick Google finds this place.... 

https://clivewalkertimber.co.uk/hardwoods/types-of-hardwood/

Roland

@Rabs how about your London Plane?

SteveRobinson

Would you like a set of Les Paul contour templates? I'm just chucking them out.

MattNovak

SteveRobinson said:

Would you like a set of Les Paul contour templates? I'm just chucking them out.

Can I register as second in line if Pete doesn't want them please? You could ship them the order I placed yesterday  

SteveRobinson

No problem

PeteC

Yes please Steve - very kind of you indeed. 

I think you have my address already - but if not let me know and I will pm. 

PS - going order a set of cans for the finishes on both junior this week to repay some of the help/tools you've given 

cheers

SteveRobinson

Thanks Pete, I'll post everything together in that case. 

Sorry @MattNovak and thank you too for the lacquer order.

PeteC

Need a bit of advice on selection of cans Steve so I will drop you a pm.  Many thanks 

Rabs

Yeah we have a really nice one up at the moment or I could make you one next week...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333705741616

phil_b

london plane

oops already suggested

or you could look at some of the unique Australian woods

PeteC

Thanks for the heads up @Rabs ;

I'd already got a Leeds based supplier sorting out a couple of metres of American hard maple for me - so I will see how I get on with that first. Pretty sure I will want some of the Plane for a future build though - it looks amazing. 

Good luck with the job move btw. 

Funkfingers

Another vote for Sycamore. My Tokai LS-60 had it with a nice, thin tiger stripe.

Otherwise, go for something sufficiently attractive and different such that you will never need to replace it.

PeteC

going with some plain maple for now - I really like the look of old LPs with plain tops ( despite having had a few rather stripy PRS ) 
I would like to try some book matched sycamore once I can source some locally. 

Tokai , yeah !!!     I have a 2005 LS-150 and love it.  Heavy on the shoulder though ! 

MattNovak

Hi @PeteC - I just ordered a bookmatched maple top from Reid Timber... 525mm x 350mm x 4mm, £24. Will post pics of it when it gets here. No idea what its going to become yet (ok, one or two ideas). 

MattNovak

MattNovak said:

Hi @PeteC - I just ordered a bookmatched maple top from Reid Timber... 525mm x 350mm x 4mm, £24. Will post pics of it when it gets here. No idea what its going to become yet (ok, one or two ideas). 

And here it is - its only plain, but I like the look of the '58 LPs anyways. Present idea is to make a semi-hollow LP like my Zematis-shaped one, with the body (probably mahogany) top routed ala the Gibson Midtown. That said, I've got projects piling up around me, and work has gone mental so I'm unlikely to share anything of interest soon!

PeteC

Nice 

picked up 2m of maple board 9x1” at the weekend from a local hardwood merchant.  Really pleased with It. 

It’s fairly plain but seems really nice quality.  

I can’t bookmatch it with my existing bandsaw but I don’t mind that. 

Ran two 18” pieces for the cap through the diy edge jointer this pm and it’s worked a treat.  Had to spend an hour or two fettling the fence so that the indeed and outfeed were EXACTLY  parallel and the minimum of very fine cuts from the bit. 

Simple set up - once I had it adjusted nicely I simply clamped it and drilled it down to the bench      The joint is glue-ready but a light scrape and sand and it’s almost invisible.   Very pleased with that for a guerilla job !! 

Good enough to make up some neck laminations from the rest of the mahogany and maple i have