Dear friends, A dry climate for a Hurdy-Gurdie's home is a big issue that deserves special attention for a Hurdy-Gurdy builder. What do we as builders do about this? We take care in acclimating our wood before building an instrument and build in a shop where the relative humidity is held close to 40%. Generally the drier the wood the more stable it will be. Our wood is also stored inside in the shop sometimes for many years before it is used or we resaw it to make it thin to let it finish drying faster. we can also get a good read on moisture content by checking the wood with a special device called a moisture meter. We can dry wood further in our solar kiln to get it to a lower internal moisture level for special needs in dry climates. We do ask customers about any concerns we have when we get an order from the dryer regions. Wood selection is also a key to success. Some woods just expand and contract more than others when subjected to humidity and temperature changes. Selecting a wood that is inherently more stable is a wise move for extreme climates. Mahognay is an excellent choice for stability and it also makes good sound boards. backs and sides so the whole instrument could be made of mahogany for extreme climates. Another factor in building a stable instrument is grain orientation. When a piece of wood is rather wide as in a back or soundboard it will move considerably. This is not a big issue if it is expanding a little (acquiring noisture in a more humid climate) but when it is shrinking (like in a Michigan forced air heated house without a humidifier) cracks may develop. So luthiers will carefully choose quartersawn wood which is much more stable than slab cut woods. Also, highly figured woods generally have inherent stresses that subject them to cracking more than plain strait grained woods when subjected to extreme changes in temp. and humidity. Yes fugure is beautiful but perhaps not the best choice in certain environments. We have repaired many instruments that have cracked not because they were poorly built but because the owners allowed them to experience radical drying. This can happen in the car trunk on a 100 degree day or near a regester in winter. Yes, we have repaired cracks that are due to poorly seasoned woods that were used prematurely or that developed in an instrument that was built in a shop that did not pay attention to humidity levels or where the instrument would be used. Lots to consider when making a HG that will last. We are constantly learning and I am glad that you are too. I want to take a moment to say thanks to the many people who have taught us along the way and simply say "Wow" some of you guys amaze me with what you know. Thanks for trusting me with some of your secrets! Sorry, I cannot give out the names. Mel Dorries - HGC
--- On Sat, 3/20/10, victoryfarm <[email protected]> wrote: From: victoryfarm <[email protected]> Subject: [HG-new] Re: New Member - recommendations To: "hurdygurdy" <[email protected]> Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:50 PM Would building an instrument in that climate help the instrument tolerate desert conditions better? I'm not a builder at all, but I would think that letting the wood get acclimated before assembling would help some, no? Mary On Mar 16, 1:01 pm, David Gillett <[email protected]> wrote: > I've heard very > good things about Mel Dorrie atwww.hurdygurdycrafters.com, though I > don't know how quickly they build and ship. They have a kit if you're > feeling adventurous. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to hurdygurdy+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to hurdygurdy+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.
