Regarding Scott's use of old growth Fir, I think that he mentioned that the wood came from an old bridge. That wood has been air dried, as the use of kilns is a relatively recent innovation.
So what he's using is a vertical grain (yes, really vertical, not modern spec 45 degree grain), that and an exceptionally tight grain that has air dried for what? Seventy-five, a Hundred years?
This wood is very stable, and if there are no wild swings in humidity and temperature, there's no reason why we should assume that problems will arise. There is a potential that is greater than sheet stock, but only in rather unusual circumstances that may not ever present themselves on Vancouver Island. I like solid wood better than Ply, and ply better than MDF, but I can afford MDF. Wood like Scott uses is pretty pricey, if you can find it, and for good reason.
Best Regards,
TerryO
So what he's using is a vertical grain (yes, really vertical, not modern spec 45 degree grain), that and an exceptionally tight grain that has air dried for what? Seventy-five, a Hundred years?
This wood is very stable, and if there are no wild swings in humidity and temperature, there's no reason why we should assume that problems will arise. There is a potential that is greater than sheet stock, but only in rather unusual circumstances that may not ever present themselves on Vancouver Island. I like solid wood better than Ply, and ply better than MDF, but I can afford MDF. Wood like Scott uses is pretty pricey, if you can find it, and for good reason.
Best Regards,
TerryO
MJL21193 said:
That's not really the same thing. Scott's isn't subdivision quality housing. It is a 1-of-a-kind. All solid timber frame, with bits he milled himself. The upstairs floor is arbutus that he made into flooring from the logs....
dave
Gentlemen FYI
thought this article may be of interest, it shows what can be achieved using a variety of products, and the finished thing is gorgeous (IMO).
http://www.getwoodworking.com/news/article/mps/UAN/55/v/1/sp/
thought this article may be of interest, it shows what can be achieved using a variety of products, and the finished thing is gorgeous (IMO).
http://www.getwoodworking.com/news/article/mps/UAN/55/v/1/sp/
planet10 said:
Subdivion quality? 8300 square feet, $3.4 million? Designed by a top architect, everything custom hand built from the baseboard to the kitchen cabinets?
Nothing one-of-a-kind about that.🙄
Hi MJL21193
RE: post 77
I belive you are correct.😀
I have enjoyed your irreverent and relevant posts on quite a few threads I have read now, and enjoyed the badinage you have mainly with your fellow Canadians, it injects some humour into the proceedings.🙂
As to the MDF vs PLY, I'm afraid I;#'m going to have to sit on the fence on this one. Trouble is what to make the fence from,
ply or mdf
RE: post 77
I belive you are correct.😀
I have enjoyed your irreverent and relevant posts on quite a few threads I have read now, and enjoyed the badinage you have mainly with your fellow Canadians, it injects some humour into the proceedings.🙂
As to the MDF vs PLY, I'm afraid I;#'m going to have to sit on the fence on this one. Trouble is what to make the fence from,
ply or mdf
"It's when people start talking about balsa wood that you need to start worrying"
Actually ... Torlyte uses something similar and I've heard speakers made of it. Very light, very stiff and sounded good.
Actually ... Torlyte uses something similar and I've heard speakers made of it. Very light, very stiff and sounded good.
The legendary Saba-Greencones sound best in 50l BR, made of 7mm Ply....in words SEVEN Millimeter!!!
TS: why don't you ask a builder of a violin or a guitar why not MDF? (I can give you the answer though) 😉
Because they want it to resonate and colour the sound to create the required voice for the instrument, thus differentiating one violin from another. At a guess.
Though I have seen cello's made of carbon fibre.
Though I have seen cello's made of carbon fibre.
MJL21193 said:
Its still 2x4s and sheathing (and not even the good stuff)... and i bet you had a crew?
dave
planet10 said:
Hi Dave,
Quite a bit more to a house that size than 2x4's and cheap sheathing (OSB sheathing is actually better for the final finish of this house-stucco and natural stone, as it stays flatter). Quadruple LVL's that carry a massive roof load, trusses that were 66 feet long, 12 feet high weighing 860 lbs.
And that's just the shell.
On site, we made all of the moldings and trim (miles...err, sorry Saturnis - kilometers of it), all of the interior doors ( about 60, including closet doors), the entire kitchen including a huge 5' x 11' island made from solid American cherry, double main entrance doors (2.5 inches thick, 3 feet wide and 8 feet tall) from solid white oak.
So, just a bit more "off the shelf" than yer average subdivision house.
BTW, my crew:
Attachments
marce said:
Hi marce,
Yeah, if you can't amuse yourself (and possibly others), what's the sense? Most here think I'm an evil, nasty, mean spirited SOB. I'm here to say that nothing could be further from the truth.
I'm actually much worse than that.
Colin said:
It's whenever you go near it with a hard object that I'd get concerned. Sonics I can believe would be useful in some apps.
marce said:
Off course they use woods that complements their taste, but the question is: why never MDF? The answer is simple (and predictable): is does not sound good! I've read about instrumentbuilders who tried MDF and never liked it: MDF doesn't 'sing', it sound flat and compressed in comparison with other woods.
Another discussion is if this characteristic sound in musical instruments is also found in loudspeakers or the housing of components... I'd say YES (but who am I: I listen to music with a loudspeaker that is "build like an instrument") 😉
I think it would be very interesting to build a couple of simple boxes, one out of normal materials and one made out of the deadest sounding materials possible (probably a made up lamination of lead and HDF), it would be interesting to see how much influence cabinet resonaneses have, as like violins, it may be what makes one speaker superb and another rubbish.
The argument over MDF and violins can be viewed both ways, us MDF dust breathing guys would say we dont want our cabinets to sing only the vocalist, we Plywood using chappies would say we dont want a dead lifeless sound.
Argghhh now I'm arguing with myself, be quite voices in my head
But seriously I could argue for both sides, and even if we had MDF covered ply, others would want ply covered mdf🙂
The argument over MDF and violins can be viewed both ways, us MDF dust breathing guys would say we dont want our cabinets to sing only the vocalist, we Plywood using chappies would say we dont want a dead lifeless sound.
Argghhh now I'm arguing with myself, be quite voices in my head
But seriously I could argue for both sides, and even if we had MDF covered ply, others would want ply covered mdf🙂
marce said:
The builder of my loudspeaker once did! All the beauty in the singing tones was gone. It sounded dead, not rich (also no ambiance) but artifical en not at all subtle (harsh).
EVERY loudspeaker (even Avalon) resonates. I can't think of a reason why the used woods should NOT have an effect on how the loudspeaker sounds. Listening experiments comfirm that. You can test it yourself by making sounds with different object around you on different types of woods, everything sounds different. A loudspeaker acts in the same way (air 'pushing' against the wood, even if it's damped (you can still feel every loudspeaker resonate).
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