American maple from Orca's Island for viola, different figure, have you ever tried it?

[MANFIO]

I have this maple to make a viola back. I got it from Bruce Harvey (Orca's Island) about 30 years ago, I think.  

It is American. Wood density  is 0.655. Do you have any experience with it?

I remember that Francesco Bissolotti in Cremona used something similar for violas, if I am not wrong. 

And how is it called? Thanks!

 

[DarylG]

That type of figure is called quilted maple. If it's from the Pacific Northwest than likely the wood is big leaf maple.

[La Folia]

Beautiful wood.  For the record, it Orcas Island, not Orca's Island.  People from that area know the difference, and the 's' is pronounced as an 's', not a 'z'.

[La Folia]

I had one of those once, but someone has since cut it down.  Who knows what the wood looked like?  I wonder how many bass backs it could have made.  These trees are big, and there was surely enough wood in it to last all of you a lifetime, alas.

[Dr. Mark]

Here's a 2017 violin I made with a back of Big leaf from Orcas Island Tonewoods.  So yes, I have some experience with it but tonally, with a single datapoint I can't make a meaningful comparison.  Workability...if I recall you'll benefit from sharp tools, and closer than usual attention to the local direction of the wood fibers.  Sorry if that's not useful.  This might be the last violin I made on a large form - I changed a lot of things when I went into semi-retirement.

 

[nathan slobodkin]

I have also used this for violas. Good stuff. Usually but not always slightly softer than Acer Rubrum or the European maples. Sounds good on violas and cellos. I have not had great results from it on vioilins but some people definitely have.

[Jeny Mahon]

6 hours ago, La Folia said:

Beautiful wood.  For the record, it Orcas Island, not Orca's Island.  People from that area know the difference, and the 's' is pronounced as an 's', not a 'z'.

I came here to say this 

[La Folia]

17 minutes ago, Jeny Mahon said:

I came here to say this 

On the Duwamish, eh?  I hadn't thought about it, but I used to live 1 block south of Orcas St.  

[Marty Kasprzyk]

I've also used Big Leaf maple from Bruce Harvey at Orcas Is. for a violin back.  I loved its really different grain pattern which your photo shows.  Nice break from the usual curly maple that you see over and over again. 

[Jeny Mahon]

2 hours ago, La Folia said:

On the Duwamish, eh?  I hadn't thought about it, but I used to live 1 block south of Orcas St.  

NICE! Old school GT!  We're on Carleton.  Moved here 21 years ago and it has REALLY changed since then.  But it's stayed just loud and grungy enough to have evaded total gentrification   And we STILL don't have a grocery store.  

[MANFIO]

Thank you all! I am not a native English speaker...

Thanks Nathan and Marty. I was a bit worried about using it but now I am more relaxed. Thanks for your input!

[MANFIO]

It is a pity that Bruce and Simeon Chambers are not in the wood business anymore, they were very nice and sold good wood. I wish I had some more low-density spruce from Simeon Chambers for my violas. 

[ernym]

That's a nice piece of quilted "big leaf" maple Manfio! I used it on my 2nd Sultana. I purchased mine from the now defunct "Wood Well" where I could spend hours sorting though piles of it. Great memories there.

 

 

[MANFIO]

Nice!

[La Folia]

15 hours ago, Jeny Mahon said:

NICE! Old school GT!  We're on Carleton.  Moved here 21 years ago and it has REALLY changed since then.  But it's stayed just loud and grungy enough to have evaded total gentrification   And we STILL don't have a grocery store.  

Amazing!  Separated by a very short distance -- and about 75 years.  My home is now a parking lot.  My other home is now grungy.  It used to be so beautiful.

Sorry, Manfio.  VERY nice wood.

[ernym]

6 hours ago, MANFIO said:

Nice!

Luis,

One thing about quilted maple is that as you carve the figure will change. So that it may not be a perfect bookmatch once finished with arching. I woud always prefer buying  billets large enough for one piece backs. 

This is an example of a two piece back that started out a perfect book match and after carving the figure did not match each side. 

And here is the last piece I bought from The Wood Well before they closed. The billet was thick enough to get two backs. Look forward to see your viola when finished, please post photos!

 

[MANFIO]

Thanks! I don't care about perfect wood match.... it is a pity that so many tonewood suppliers are closing their doors....

 

[lvlagneto]

Amazing figure within those slabs.  I can see the frustration with loss of the book match concept, but wow, still very beautiful.

2 hours ago, MANFIO said:

I don't care about perfect wood match.... it is a pity that so many tonewood suppliers are closing their doors....

Is everyone retiring?  I came back to the forum after years of inactivity, and noticed that many kind members have passed away.  

[MANFIO]

My players give more importance to the overall impression, they will give a 10 seconds look at the viola and will ask for the bow. They will decide based on the sound.  

Perhaps the 2007/2008 crisis, the COVID crisis, it is hard to know why some wood dealers stopped working. Makers that are doing well today are rather old too, and they have already a large wood stock that they got decades ago.  In general, when we die, we leave a large wood stock.   

[Randall The Restorer]

Henry Strobel used wood that looked like that in his violin and viola books. The lumber came from BigLeaf Maple trees near his home in Oregon, USA. 

If that wood works for you and you want more, I will gladly share some from a 3-inch thick slab that is big enough for one-piece backs on 17 inch violas. It has been well and truly seasoned in an unheated garage on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Yours truly,

Randy O'Malley, Mississauga, CANADA

 

[Randall The Restorer]

On 10/21/2024 at 4:30 PM, lvlagneto said:

 

Is everyone retiring?  I came back to the forum after years of inactivity, and noticed that many kind members have passed away.  

I'm still alive and active and doing my best to be kind, courteous, compassionate, and friendly. 

Let us all raise a collective glass and make a heartfelt toast to absence friends.

Yours truly,

Randy O'Malley

[MANFIO]

3 hours ago, Randall The Restorer said:

Henry Strobel used wood that looked like that in his violin and viola books. The lumber came from BigLeaf Maple trees near his home in Oregon, USA. 

If that wood works for you and you want more, I will gladly share some from a 3-inch thick slab that is big enough for one-piece backs on 17 inch violas. It has been well and truly seasoned in an unheated garage on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Yours truly,

Randy O'Malley, Mississauga, CANADA

 

Thanks Randall!!

[Marty Kasprzyk]

On 10/20/2024 at 8:29 PM, Marty Kasprzyk said:

I've also used Big Leaf maple from Bruce Harvey at Orcas Is. for a violin back.  I loved its really different grain pattern which your photo shows.  Nice break from the usual curly maple that you see over and over again. 

Sorry for the month delay.  I found a photo of my violin with its back made from Bruce Harvey's quilted Big Leaf maple.

[MANFIO]

On 10/28/2024 at 4:43 AM, Randall The Restorer said:

I'm still alive and active and doing my best to be kind, courteous, compassionate, and friendly. 

Let us all raise a collective glass and make a heartfelt toast to absence friends.

Yours truly,

Randy O'Malley

Thanks Randy! I sent you a PM!

[uguntde]

On 10/21/2024 at 8:19 PM, MANFIO said:

Thanks! I don't care about perfect wood match.... it is a pity that so many tonewood suppliers are closing their doors....

 

Are they? And why?