uncle.fogey - Posted - 02/05/2012:  14:55:52

Are you bored enough yet?

I have been making steam bent rims with a combination of woods,  Actually, I have been working with Dick Guggenheim on this.  What is the benefit of steam bending? That's what we want to learn, and why do we want to do it, since everyone else is making 3-ply rims - another question.

SO, I decided to do 4-ply rims, and Dick and I wanted to use beech as thew core. I made 2 kinds - maple beech beech maple, and cherry beech beech cherry.

The idea is that beech is a kick-ass wood with a lot of sound, but you have to tone it down - hence the cherry, which is mellow.

Here's what I did:

Here's what they sound like:

tap hybrid maple beech laminate

tap cherry beech

5steve - Posted - 02/05/2012:  15:02:09

What a great idea, I agree about the beech being a bright wood I made some bridges with some beech studs I took put of an Old 1830's house they sounded way bright on my stewart macdonald. I was recently amusing  myself as I was splitting wood and the maple had a great musical sound to it as it split. I put some aside to fool around with bridges.   

 I like the idea of laminating the two woods together.     Steve

jethrobodine - Posted - 02/05/2012:  15:03:02

I have no clue about tap tones on a rim...or anything else for that matter. However, seems to me the cherry/beech sounded harder/brighter than the maple/beech. Sounded like you really put a whopping on them. LOL

MOUNTAIN GOAT - Posted - 02/05/2012:  15:20:05

I agree the cherry beech sounds brighter and better. Good luck

BPorter - Posted - 02/05/2012:  15:22:06

Ken, you been burning that Microphone and PC up....grin now....can't wait until we hear that four ply wood rim all "strung up" and ready to go. You have certainly gotten the art of steam bending and laminating the wood rim down very well as evidenced by those pixs. I think StewMack back in the early 1970s was offering a six ply beech wood rim...could be wrong though, been a long time ago and it could have been birch instead.

That was before the maple 3-ply wood rims were readily available; about the time Jimmy Cox was gearing up and before Janzegers started making them.

Bill Porter

uncle.fogey - Posted - 02/05/2012:  16:14:15

quote:

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Originally posted by BPorter

Ken, you been burning that Microphone and PC up....grin now....can't wait until we hear that four ply wood rim all "strung up" and ready to go. You have certainly gotten the art of steam bending and laminating the wood rim down very well as evidenced by those pixs. I think StewMack back in the early 1970s was offering a six ply beech wood rim...could be wrong though, been a long time ago and it could have been birch instead.



That was before the maple 3-ply wood rims were readily available; about the time Jimmy Cox was gearing up and before Janzegers started making them.



Bill Porter



 

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Bill,

I sent a rough rim to Dick Guggenheim with an inset ring for a tube -and -plate, just like the old Gibsons:

We will see how this comes out. I am excited!