Dear Tim, You wrote: "> Personally, I've wondered whether the increasing number of ribs on > lutes as you move into the 17th century is a sign that luthiers were > running out of easy-to-obtain yew in large slabs. If not, it would > have been a tremendous waste of wood to cut such narrow ribs to get > the dark/light contrast." > and
"> But splitting large pieces > for lute ribs seems like a pretty big project. Has anyone on the > list done that? I know it will have to dry for a long time before it > can be used. Kiln-drying would seem to negate the ecological value > of using windfall wood." On the subject of yew, do I remember something about scarcities of the wood being caused by its use in the manufacture of longbows? If I remember correctly it was the combination of heartwood and sapwood that was crucial to the success of the longbow - the two components of the wood have different structural properties. It makes me wonder if lute makers were utilising these same properties in some way in their lute backs? Concerning trees blown down in storms, one of my own lutes by Stephen Barber & Sandi Harris has a back made from a hungarian ash that was a victim of the famous 1987 UK "hurricane" (I put that in inverted commas out of respect for list members in parts of the world where you get real hurricanes). There are references to their use of such wood, including exotics from Kew Gardens, on their web site. In my own profession (Architectural Technology) there is a much greater level of responsibility in the sourcing of construction timber than in the past. For example, to acquire "EcoHomes" accreditation in the UK housing market timber has to be sourced from one of the schemes that guarantees a sustainable well managed source. This is a very positive step towards respecting the world's more vulnerable forests. Hopefully this kind of thinking applies to wood for instrument making these days too. Best wishes, Denys
