Anybody ever use Pear

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rickmorgan2003

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Somebody left a pile of pear slabs- mostly what others would deem unusable but since most of the wood I use is in small pieces I figure I could get some usable stuff out of it. I know some violin manufactures use it for fingerboards after staining it black.
I love the colour and grain on this small sample piece.pear slabs.jpgIMAG0402.jpg
 
Ive never use it, But I think it is big in the lute world
 
I have used only once, along with apple, peach and apricot, and it works fine. Apple and pear are a bit boring to look at but as long as it is well seasoned, it works fine. Apricot and Peach however can be very pretty, lot of orange, pinks and yellows.
 
I have handmade chess set where the light color is made from pear wood (traditionally what they were made from in the 1700's), and it's beautiful. Compliments the black walnut pieces perfectly.


BlackBearUkes said:
Apple and pear are a bit boring to look at but as long as it is well seasoned, it works fine.
Click to expand...

You actually can find beautifully figured Pear, though it's hard to come by. Cook Woods has some here. I've ordered wood from them before, and they're good people.
 
I haven't used pear for instrument building, but I have worked with some from a tree that we took down in the front yard. It is beautiful and works a lot like cherry. I think I'll move a few pieces up the line and see what it's like in a uke.
 
I was reading more on it and apparently you have to steam it to get the colour to pop, otherwise it stays a creamy colour. Once steamed it takes on a pinkish orange tinge.
 
We planted a Bradford Pear on my in-laws property when our 1st daughter was born. 27 years later a good portion of it came down in a wind storm. My father in-law cut it up in pieces and I grabbed a couple from the pile that has some very pretty curl in it. Unfortunately they are not long enough to make conventional sides (length for use as a back is OK).....so I think I will have to get inventive to make a concert sized pineapple with a three-piece side??? Anyway, that uke will go to my daughter when finished.

Rick, they live in Oakton which is near you.
 
Seems like everyone around here planted those bradford pears about the same time you father in law did and every good storm brings more of them down. I might need to get a mobile sawmill;) This wood came from a traditional fruit bearing pear tree vs the ornamental bradford ones. I haven't seen a bradford pear make it to a size worth the time to saw up but I tend do build more electric guitars than ukes. This pear, if it survives seasoning, will go into a uke or two. If I can't get big enough usable pieces than it will become fingerboards and chips for the smoker.
taylordb said:
We planted a Bradford Pear on my in-laws property when our 1st daughter was born. 27 years later a good portion of it came down in a wind storm. My father in-law cut it up in pieces and I grabbed a couple from the pile that has some very pretty curl in it. Unfortunately they are not long enough to make conventional sides (length for use as a back is OK).....so I think I will have to get inventive to make a concert sized pineapple with a three-piece side??? Anyway, that uke will go to my daughter when finished.

Rick, they live in Oakton which is near you.
Click to expand...
 
My latest Pohaku tenor has Pearwood body, similar to the one in the link Steve posted. I think it's Peter's second build using that wood and he has a matching concert in the works. It has a beautiful sound coupled with the Koa top.
 
erivel said:
My latest Pohaku tenor has Pearwood body, similar to the one in the link Steve posted. I think it's Peter's second build using that wood and he has a matching concert in the works. It has a beautiful sound coupled with the Koa top.
Click to expand...
Sure, give me an excuse to buy Koa, thanks;)
 
Well Rick, I'm curious what it would sound like if the top were pear too. I'm guessing on the brighter side. The Koa probably warms it up a bit.
 
Pear was dyed and used extensively as a substitute for ebony in the 19th Century, and when removing old dyed pear fingerboards I've always noted a particular sweet odor that is as much a give away as to what it is as the look or hardness. It's as distinctive as the smell of an old instrument case. Pear obviously takes dye well, kind of like holly.
 
Gibson used pear wood in the early 1930's for some fingerboards. It can look very nice. I would give it a shot.
 
Pear

rickmorgan2003 said:
Somebody left a pile of pear slabs- mostly what others would deem unusable but since most of the wood I use is in small pieces I figure I could get some usable stuff out of it. I know some violin manufactures use it for fingerboards after staining it black.
I love the colour and grain on this small sample piece.View attachment 48398View attachment 48399
Click to expand...

I have not used any for building a uke. However, I have turned some into bowls. It is wonderful to work with and tools easily. I can tell you that it does move, even long after being dried and finished. It also does just stays a creamy (only darkening a little with age), nondescript wood. I think it would look nice and take a dye well.
 
Tigershark said:
Gibson used pear wood in the early 1930's for some fingerboards. It can look very nice. I would give it a shot.
Click to expand...
It was very common dyed black and used as peghead veneer on their pre-war banjos.
 
thx everyone, sounds like it has been historically used for parts mostly, not for tonewood except on the above mentioned lutes. Can't wait for it to season and get to playing with it.
 
I seem to recall reading that Lyon & Healy used pear at times. I think at one time I also read something indicating that what they call Nissa is pear. I tried to find the latter reference but couldn't. I did find, humorously, that there is a person by the name of Nissa Wood. I also discovered that pear is the preferred wood for architects' rulers because it doesn't warp. But I cannot find anything about a wood going by the name Nissa, except for the Lyon & Healy stuff. Does anyone know what Nissa is? Is it pear?
 
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