TwoTimesBass Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 Evening folks, It's only the beginnings of a thought to an idea, inspired by the amazing work i've see on this part of the forum, but does anyone have any thoughts/experience working with teak as a body wood? My old man was a teacher, and the weekend before an old part of the school he worked at was demolished he liberated (with permission!) about 30 yards of solid teak lab bench-tops from the 1930's. Given my plan of owning a home and building a lovely kitchen from the wood is largely a fantasy, could I build a bass? The timber has been dry stored flat for about 15 years since it was liberated, 1 1/2" thick and about 4' wide but made of three planks (possibly biscuit jointed?) to get the width. It's rock solid across the joints and dead flat, and heavy. If I flattened and glued two pieces together to make a blank around 3" thick, do I have the beginnings of a bass body, or am I over-simplifying things in my head? I'm looking at a modern small body design (Like a Warwick Thumb but smaller) rather than a P or J style (so hopefully not too heavy), big rollovers and rounding, natural matt oil-type finish... It might only be a pipe dream, but I'd love to hear any thoughts from the woodworkers out there about feasibility of this as a starting point. Thanks, and keep up the great build threads, very inspiring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 I’m no woodworker, but 1.5” is already a suitable body thickness. 3” would be huge and heavy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 I’m a joiner and I’ve worked with teak, there’s lots of variations but in general it’s a very stable wood and used a lot for furniture making, it has a tight grain so it will rout and shape well, but depending on the density it can be heavy 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 I have to say, the first thing that popped into my head was ... that will be one heavy bass! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimesBass Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 4 hours ago, Pea Turgh said: I’m no woodworker, but 1.5” is already a suitable body thickness. 3” would be huge and heavy! 3 hours ago, Reggaebass said: I’m a joiner and I’ve worked with teak, there’s lots of variations but in general it’s a very stable wood and used a lot for furniture making, it has a tight grain so it will rout and shape well, but depending on the density it can be heavy 🙂 Thanks folks, Yes, 'heavy' was my first thought too 😁 I'm thinking quite a heavily contoured small body and i think 1.5" might be slightly too thin, but I could thickness the planks down a good bit first before laying them up. As I say, complete fantasy it this stage, but it's good to know that there isn't anything fundamentally wrong with using or working teak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 What about cutting a rough shape from an offcut , and that would give you an approximate idea of what it might weigh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimesBass Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 23 minutes ago, Reggaebass said: What about cutting a rough shape from an offcut , and that would give you an approximate idea of what it might weigh Good idea 👍 Unfortunately the wood is 500 miles away at the moment, but it'll give me a chance to do some designing 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 If it's currently too thin you can always find another timber for the face/back. The concerns about it being weighty could be alleviated by chambering the body before adding aforementioned face/back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 6 hours ago, TwoTimesBass said: Good idea 👍 Unfortunately the wood is 500 miles away at the moment, but it'll give me a chance to do some designing 😀 Just tell them you are driving to check your eyesight, it will be fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 I made my first bass from a block of teak that my dad gave me. It is reasonably heavy but get the balance right and it will be quite comfortable. It was really nice to work with and also finished nicely with oil. 1.5" is thick enough for a body as is in my opinion (I've made a few that are 38mm thick so very similar) but a @TheGreek says, you could put something like a 1/4" top on it. Look forward to seeing what you come up with!! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimesBass Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 Just now, Jabba_the_gut said: Look forward to seeing what you come up with!! Thanks for the advice Jabba, just don't hold your breath please 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 can you get any of the pieces of teak measured and weighed? that would give you a density figure, then a bit of sketching and measuring and you could work out an approximate weight for the body, the values only need to be rough in order to give you a good idea of the final weight. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 I do hope you'll be sure to remove any traces of magnesium or nitric acid before you start work ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTimesBass Posted November 6, 2020 Author Share Posted November 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, Happy Jack said: I do hope you'll be sure to remove any traces of magnesium or nitric acid before you start work ... Indeed 😀 There is some quality graffiti though which would make a nice feature! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 3"? You can play and paddle with the same end result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durhamboy Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 The wood data base lists teak as having a weight of 41lb per cubic foot, so no heavier than some mahoganies. It's listed hardness rating is 4,740N, so in roughly the same area as alder. I know teak has a reputation for being difficult to glue, often epoxy is recommended. Finishes for teak are usually just oil based, as teak is an oily wood with great resistance to rot. It's reported that normal poly finishes won't set, though lacquers and shellac will. Also teak has a reputation for blunting cutting tools faster than most woods, but it does cut and rout well apparently. Good luck with your project, though it might be worth trail gluing and finishing some scraps or offcuts before you dive right in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) @durhamboy “Trail gluing”? - using sap from a convenient tree? Squirrel saliva perhaps Edited November 8, 2020 by Geek99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durhamboy Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Yes! I think I saw "trail gluing" on a Bear Grills survival program. Damn it and I thought I was getting really good at typing now that I can use two fingers.🙄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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