Brace wood?

Steve-atl

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Sorry if this is a stupid question

I am making a Mahogany top, back, and side baritone ukulele. What should I make the braces out of?

I picked up some spruce thinking that that was the wood of choice. But it seems pretty flimsy once I’ve got it sized and roughed out.

What direction should the grain be going in?

Thanks as always
 
Back braces can be mahogany or spruce. For top braces, use the spruce. Grain can run either direction. Vertical grain is used most often but there have been some tests done by reputable builders that show that flat grain can be as stiff or stiffer than vertical grain. Go figure.

As for brace dimensions, follow your plans if you have plans. If not, try .27 wide and .4 tall for three back braces, shaped to a point on top and scalloped at the ends for about 1.25". Top braces can be .26 x .38 for the two transverse braces and .18 x .25 for five tone bars. Your top (material and thickness) will dictate the exact dimensions of the braces and tone bars. There is no way to know what might work best in your situation without actually building your top and adjusting as necessary as you go. But you probably won't go too far wrong unless you really overbuild.

When you've built as many as Chuck Moore has built, you'll have developed a pretty keen sense of how to brace each top for excellent results! ;)
 
It is my experience the brace stock should always be vertical grain. Having repaired hundreds of instruments over the years, brace stock that is of poor quality and bad grain direction is almost always a cause for top failure, it fatigues sooner and cracks under pressure,especially after the top is under stress for a number of years. I would advise using the best quality spruce brace stock you can buy and always do a vertical grain.

Sorry if this is a stupid question

I am making a Mahogany top, back, and side baritone ukulele. What should I make the braces out of?

I picked up some spruce thinking that that was the wood of choice. But it seems pretty flimsy once I’ve got it sized and roughed out.

What direction should the grain be going in?

Thanks as always
 
It is my experience the brace stock should always be vertical grain. Having repaired hundreds of instruments over the years, brace stock that is of poor quality and bad grain direction is almost always a cause for top failure, it fatigues sooner and cracks under pressure,especially after the top is under stress for a number of years. I would advise using the best quality spruce brace stock you can buy and always do a vertical grain.

I agree with Duane and also use only vertical grain. I was referring to an opinion expressed by one of the technically inclined guitar guys. I think the information was in American Luthier magazine. It may well be that stiffness and tendency to crack or split over time are two different things.
 
The spruce I have has strait fairly tight grain but when sized is easily bent. It does not seem as stiff as it should be. Are there different types of spruce? What should I be looking for?
 
Here is a shot of the grain of the spruce i am using. it looks good to me.

So when you say vertical grain. Does it mean the end grain will be at the top of the brace?
 

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apologies for my poor artistry skills
 
The drawing is correct. Your photo looks like the grain is very wide, too wide for good brace stock. I would look for something that has about 24-32 grain lines per inch, the wood is well seasoned and has little run out - if any.
 
The drawing is correct. Your photo looks like the grain is very wide, too wide for good brace stock. I would look for something that has about 24-32 grain lines per inch, the wood is well seasoned and has little run out - if any.

Any suggestions where I can get spruce like that? StewMac's bracing spruce looks like the grain is going in the wrong direction.
 
... though I'm not sure you can get 4 pieces from the 2" wide stock they sell. .. it depends on how wide you want your braces and how thick your sawblade is..
 
Hey Steve....
My two cents (for what its worth)....
Give these folks a call and tell them what you are looking for and they will hook you up....Really nice folks and really nice wood (in my experience)...
https://alaskawoods.com/
 
I second the recommendation on Alaskawoods. Also note that there is a very familiar looking ukulele on the site page. Guess who?

AncientSitka2.jpg
 
I second the recommendation on Alaskawoods. Also note that there is a very familiar looking ukulele on the site page. Guess who?

View attachment 115877

This piqued my curiosity so I took a look at the page and also saw this:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/34688260@N02/32340578887/in/dateposted/

This is a Bolivian rosewood tenor with a top made of master grade Sitka from alaskawoods.com You can see the quality of the wood that they supply. I've bought brace wood from them and the quality has been excellent.
 
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I can tell you I have been getting all my soundboards from them for the last few years, as well as bracing stock and I have been quite happy with their quality as well as their customer service.
Top Notch in my book....
The other thing I like about them is their environmental awareness as this is Really important to me....
 
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