Where to find reclaimed/recycled lumber other than pine.

[Chris Thompson]

I'm going to build several electric guitars in the near future, and I'd love to build them out of some old reclaimed wood.

I can find Redwood and various pines all day, but neither is exactly a traditional guitar wood.

ebay and google have failed me. How can I find 8/4 billets of Mahogany, Alder or Ash? I realize that there's a no-commercial-links rule in affect, so feel free to PM me if need be. I'm stumped.

I realize that Alder is not exactly something they built bridge trestles out of but I'd expect to be able to find SOME!

[Lee Koepke]

not sure if this will answer your question .. but .... maybe antique/garage sales for some old furniture? I have a bedroom suite ( that I am not getting rid of BTW ) made from mahogany .. you would have to do some glueups to get the right sizes, but that may be a source.

[Joe Hardesty]

Two options come to mind:

If you have a Habitat for Humanity Store in your area, they may have a variety of reclaimed lumber. Stock can vary almost daily.

Do a search for barn demolition and restoration companies in your area. I have one locally that has an amazing collection of reclaimed wood.

HTH

[Jamie Smith]

another option is to wonder if Lee would notice a guitar-shaped hole in his furniture ;)

[george wilson]

I bought a load of real old mahogany that had been used in the cabins of old steamships,and bunks probably 100 years old. A drawback is that you get a rash on your arms when planing it from the mold that has grown in the wood. I certainly would not like to breathe it. This wood has nearly "toasted" itself through the extended exposure of the tannin to the cells in the wood. I got it at an auction of an old ship fitting company that closed down several years ago. Also bought about 3000# of old,unplated wood screws. They are so much higher quality than screws made today. We sold lots of them to museums. The heads are sharp of their edges(flat head screws here),the slots are crisply milled,nit punched,and the screw threads are nice and sharp from being lathe cut,not rolled.

Going into the place was like taking a trip back into the 40's. They had fittings for liberty ships in there. I'd have bought more,but for storage space.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Take a look at Craigslist every once in a while. I just checked nearest metropolitan area and found four listings using the search terms "reclaimed lumber".

[Dan Forman]

Some folks over on the Telecaster Forum really like their pine Teles.

Dan

[David Keller NC]

Chris - It's not impossible to find "re-claimed" or antique mahogany, but it won't be easy. Furniture is rarely taken apart for its wood content - it's sold as an antique, and mahogany is not a common architectural building material. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist as flooring, baluster posts, etc..., but it's rare.

I don't think you're going to find much alder on the reclaimed market either.

Most of the reclaimed lumber for sale is from tearing down utility structures - in the South, that's tobacco barns. In your area of the country, that might be 19th century factories and horse barns. It's highly likely that you would find ash, though heart pine and oak are far more common.

Simply do a google search on "reclaimed wood" - you'll have to wade through a number of flooring contractors, but you'll find some reclaimed lumber dealers in there as well.

[Bill White]

I don't think that alder will work too well. Maybe for the body, but too soft for the neck.
If ya can find some OLD white oak.......Stuff is HARD.
Bill ;)

[Joe Scarfo]

the finds at our local yard waste site is fantastic... it's not a steady place, but I'll drive through from time to time....