I'm looking for a place where I can find cheap scraps of wood??

[Jeff Perkins]

I'm looking for a supplier who sells small scraps of spruce, mahogany, ect. to use for testing colors and odd repairs. I'm tired of spending way too much from the luthier supply companies. Other than ebay, anyone know of a good place to find cheap scraps of wood that are actually useful? I'd like to buy a lot of random useful scraps.

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

I keep a bunch of little bits of wood when I cut a body or neck or side or whatever... I've got a full box of it and I use it for patches or repairs.

[Jeff Perkins]

I do that already, but unfortunately, I don't get a chance to cut a neck or body that often. Most of what I do is repairs. I desparately want to build instruments for a living, but as I'm one of the only luthier's in town here, all of my business is repairs. I do collect all of the sawdust and bits of scrap I can. Thanks for the reply though!

[Donald A. Fortune]

Give some cabinet shops near you a try and sometimes they will give you what is known as "drops" for free-----
Peace,Donald

[Jeff Perkins]

That's actually a great idea. I'll call around today and see what's available. But, How many cabinet makers are using mahogany, rosewood and spruce? I have no idea about cabinet making, but there seem to be quite a few people on here that use to do just that.

[Jeff Perkins]

I went to the local cabinet maker and picked up tons of mahogany veneer along with lots of other nice scraps. Thanks for the tip. He's even going to save certain scraps for me!

[Donald A. Fortune]

It's amazing what you can get for "ZIP" if you know where to get it --- Peace, Donald

[Tim Mace]

grow yur own....how little are you willing to spend?, as I may be sitting on a goldmine of pieces of fine Luthier scraps but I really don't want to let go of any of it unless of course.......$$$$$$$+++++xmas...bwoke but loaded. "Tell me how shall I send thee"???Jus'kiddin'.

[Jeff Perkins]

You probably are sitting on the motherlode of scraps i need lol. If you want to sell some of it, take a pic for me and let me know what you want for it. As I'm saving everything I have for xmas too, it may be after xmas before I can come up with some cash. Thanks fo rthe reply! Where are you located? I'm in NW Arkansas.

[Ned Knepp]

" I'm in NW Arkansas."

I grew up there, in Siloam Springs. Half of my family is still in the area. It's a small world.

I do this for fun so I don't have much in the way of "scrap" wood either. Howard's suggestion is a lumber yard and that's where I have found some good wood IF they will let you look through the bin. There are some woods that I either can't find there or find too expensive. I picked up a pile of 2nd guitar side sets that gave me a supply of Indian Rosewood for patches and such and I found a plank of Mahogany that happened to be quartered at the lumber yard along with a blank of hard maple. In other words, I catch as catch can.

That said, I have a need for some very fine grained spruce to replace some top damage on the parlor I'm rebuilding. Nothing in my small inventory will match it. I've been watching Ebay with the idea of buying a basket case old mando for the materials. In the mean time, I'm thinking I will cut out the top under the bridge location and patch that with material from my stock then use the underside of the original material as the filler for the area that will show. It will be a lot of extra work but I can't come up with any other way to match the grain. I guess that what I'm saying is that it's sometimes possible to "find" what you need on the instrument you already have.

Ned

[Jeff Perkins]

I like the idea of using the underside of the bit you're cutting out. I'm not new to repairs, but I have to say, I've not thought of that one yet. Great idea!. Hope it works out for you. If you're ever in the NWA area, give me a shout. I always love meeting fellow luthiers.

[Jeff Perkins]

If only I had the land and the time :)

[Howard Klepper]

A lumber yard?