Prettiest woods for speakers and hi-fi cases?

[thedelihaus]

What do you consider the prettiest woods for speakers and hi-fi cases?

And one thing I ask- if you post an answer, let me know if it's easy, or difficult wood to work with- I know some woods are tougher to handle than others.

I'm doing over a friend's Timewindows, and would like them to look nice.

Also, I've got some rough looking Paradigm Titans, and a chipped panel on a Denon POA.

I really like rosewood. That's my top choice. But I'm interested in other suggestions, some lighter-colored wood suggestions, ect...

Plan is to re-veneer the pieces, not build from scratch.

[spartanmanor]

ribbon stripped Sapele it's a Mahogany variation.

Check this out: http://www.dcchomes.com/Mkhorn.html

[spartanmanor]

although the Rosewood is pretty f*ing nice

[absolon]

Padauk, reddest of the red woods. Oil isn't a good finish for it.

Purpleheart for that purplish look. Hard and hard to work.

Blister maple for the three dimensional look, but hard to plane without tearout.

Old growth yellow cedar with rings so tight it looks like a chunk of butter. Pretty soft though and very fragrant.

[silverHalo]

Really depends on your budget. Rosewood is great but you can go broke if you build solid wood cabinets with it. Last time I checked at my lumber supplier it was 40 bucks a board foot (1x12x12). Walnuts always the cheaper choice and stains well. Cocobola is great and looks like rosewood: Zebrawood, Yellowheart, tulipwood make interesting accents. Remember that solid wood is going to cost you plenty, I build mostly out of veneered plywood. Much cheaper, easy to work with, and you can get sheets of it in just about any species depending on what type of lumber yards you live by. Homedepot carries maple and birch plywood if thats the only choice you have....

[oilswell]

Prettiest wood? How about Waterfall Bubinga?!!

[Nikko75]

Bulbinga and Burled Carpatian Elmwood. Always loved burl woods.

[nukeme]

I'm partial to walnut, I've only veneered speakers with it though. I think it looks nice(lots of swirls and color variations).

[gadget73]

I kind of like teak but thats from spending too many years around boats. Never really worked with it so not sure how difficult it is to deal with. Most I've done is clean and oil existing stuff made from it. Its also not terribly cheap from what I gather.

[bowtie427ss]

I'm partial to walnut, I've only veneered speakers with it though. I think it looks nice(lots of swirls and color variations).Sounds like burl walnut in particular, and i'd have to second a vote for that, altho for richness and contrast rosewood reigns supreme, and tends to be found on only the best antique furniture and instruments.

If you can find it, Carpathian Elm Burl is the finest of all the burls.

[JimJ[VT]]

I think Teres Audio does a hell of a job with Rosewood and Cocobolo, they just look gorgeous.

[luvvinvinyl]

Are you going to be using veneer, Paul? Most of what was mentioned requires some considerable tooling (teak's high silica content will chew up even carbide tooling) or skills, or both, if you are using lumber. Even in veneer, there are several caveats. You need to be aware of which veneers are more or less stable, which ones suffer badly from age/pooor storage. Cocobola, for instance, looks very nice, but is a bear to handle. The sheet will have razor-sharp edges, and, if dried out, will develop splits and voids. Add in the fact that it doesn't like to lie flat, and you have to REALLY want to use it, and be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort.

Merrylander told of using Sapele and swearing never to do so again.

Though it is very hard, English Black Walnut machines well, and is quite stable, and there can be some beautiful variations in colour and grain. I have used some very nicely-figured fruitwoods and nutwoods, like pear and pecan, for lighter tones. Quartersawn oak would make nice blonde panels for your Denon. Cherry for a "strawberry blonde" look.

[thedelihaus]

Thanks for all the great suggestions, fellas.

Primarily I'll be using veneers, to re-do a few pieces. No building from scratch at this time.

I'd like something attractive, easy to work with (at first), and affordable (in case I make a bunch of mistakes).

Something not rare would be nice too- I'd even consider pressed bamboo (really a grass) if it'd work well.

I personally like red woods, but blonde woods are nice as well, and are being considered.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

I'd love to hear more!

[BULLWINKLE]

DON'T use paduak! The red fades to a ugly brown in less than a year and nothing will prevent it. Cocobollo and rosewood are in the same family (Rosewood) which is named for the smell when it is cut, Difficult to work with due to high oil content in the wood and chips easily, Bubinga is beautiful but the grain is crazy and also chips easily. Quilted maple is spectacular but grain makes it chip easily: curly maple is also nice. Honduran Mahogany is easier to work with and if you want a rich red you will need to use a stain, but it lasts whereas Paduak won't. Regards, Brien

Edit: What Luvvinvinyl said.

[marantzfan]

Does anybody know how hard that bubinga is to work with...I think it's absolutley stunning! I saw that someone redid a Mac 1700 case out of bubinga and two heresy's. I really like the look of that stuff. If it's not hard to work with, I am considering my first re-veneer job for my Sansui 9090DB in bubinga...Deli, did you like the looks of that one?

[nukeme]

OK, I lied. I also did a tuner in walnut. Here it is:

[Andyman]

DON'T use paduak! The red fades to a ugly brown in less than a year and nothing will prevent it.

I don't know about that.
I've got a dolphin somewhere around here I carved out of red padauk back in 8th grade (1965) and it still has a wonderful deep reddish orange color 42 years later. All that's on it is about a half dozen coats of brushed on Deft. :yes:

Damn!!! Never mind. I just found it and it is a reddish brown.

[Eric Clark]

Quartersawn oak would make nice blonde panels for your Denon.


I'd love to see quatersawn white oak with a fume finish.

Here is a great site for pictures of different quatersawn oak finishes. (http://desertcraftsmen.com/Standards.shtml)

Unfinished cut- http://desertcraftsmen.com/images/OakMystique.jpg

Curly Maple I have always liked- http://www.kbguitars.com/images/woods/curly.jpg

A burl cut of any wood would also be neat to see.

[Andyman]

I'd love to see quatersawn white oak with a fume finish.

Here is a great site for pictures of different quatersawn oak finishes. (http://desertcraftsmen.com/Standards.shtml)

That would be a nice Craftsman (no, not Sears!!) look and probably really set off a nice tube amp; give it a real nice manly, 1930s look. I've got a CD box I made a few years back out of some quartersawn oak and stained a dark red that's real nice. Tough to get a good picture of, but I'll try tomorrow

I think some spalted maple would be pretty cool looking too.

[Eric Clark]

That would be a nice Craftsman (no, not Sears!!) look and probably really set off a nice tube amp; give it a real nice manly, 1930s look. I've got a CD box I made a few years back out of some quartersawn oak and stained a dark red that's real nice. Tough to get a good picture of, but I'll try tomorrow

I think some spalted maple would be pretty cool looking too.

I have a 1890s quatersawn oak table I need to get refinished. It was one of the first pieces of furniture my mothers side of my family bought when the came to the US. I still have 5 out of the 6 chairs. It is one of my favorite woods and I agree it would look awesome with a tube amp.

Spalted Oak is alway a great looking wood. I have a beautiful piece of spalted red oak I need to do something with. :scratch2:

[DynacoDave]

This is the best possible base:
http://www.sierrapine.com/products/mdf/mediteIImedford/Sweets%20Dec%2005.pdf
You can purchase it from sign supply shops.
It machines great, dense dead flat. Much better than reqular mdo.
I've used a lock miter bit then, used epoxy for the joints. Makes a nice solid base to veneer on. Cheers, Dave

[Fisherdude]

ribbon stripped Sapele it's a Mahogany variation.

Check this out: http://www.dcchomes.com/Mkhorn.html

Guys, you have got to check out this link. Talk about a veneering education, this is outstanding!

[spartanmanor]

I'd love to see quatersawn white oak with a fume finish.

Here is a great site for pictures of different quatersawn oak finishes. (http://desertcraftsmen.com/Standards.shtml)

Unfinished cut- http://desertcraftsmen.com/images/OakMystique.jpg


I did 2 sets of AR-7's a while back in quartersawn oak

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33705&d=1166106904

[Njord Noatun]

As I just refinished a receiver cabinet (http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=43796) in this wood and it looks gorgeous to my eyes, my vote goes out to rosewood.

[wineslob]

I've always been partial to rosewood and cherry. Both are available and not too expensive, though still not cheap.

[Steve-H]

I like my figured cherry:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/451569969_5ad2d068a3_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/451569967_b5ad0dbe4a_o.jpg

As far as woodworking goes, cherry is usually pretty easy, just a little hard. One thing with figured woods, is that you simply cannot use a knife planer; as the different wood densities will cup. An abrasive planer is the only way to go.

-Steve

[absolon]

DON'T use paduak! The red fades to a ugly brown in less than a year and nothing will prevent it..........Honduran Mahogany is easier to work with and if you want a rich red you will need to use a stain, but it lasts whereas Paduak won't. Regards, Brien



I made this mirror about 16 years ago from Andaman Padauk and Ebony.

Oil finish and direct sun exposure does turn Padauk brown, but film-forming finishes and indirect light keep it redder much longer. I think African Padauk tends to brown faster as well; it is a much more orange red when fresh cut than Andaman Padauk which tends to be a darker, richer red. If you want to colour wood, use aniline dye rather than a stain. Stain tends to look muddy and conceal the grain.

[soundmotor]

http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_03_img1406.jpg

This one is both beautiful and totally inert.

[thedelihaus]

http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_03_img1406.jpg

This one is both beautiful and totally inert.

Her and Robert Wagner's daughter is a cutie, too.

Poor Natalie.

[john_w]

I like my figured cherry:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/451569969_5ad2d068a3_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/451569967_b5ad0dbe4a_o.jpg

As far as woodworking goes, cherry is usually pretty easy, just a little hard. One thing with figured woods, is that you simply cannot use a knife planer; as the different wood densities will cup. An abrasive planer is the only way to go.

-Steve

That is purty! I'm not sure about prettiest by itself, but I think my dark-stained cherry speakers w/black grills look really sharp with almost-perfectly-matching cherry and black component shelves. Especially with dark stained cherry french door sills in the listening room.

Some day I may post some pics when everything is actually clean and dusted at once. Ah, the life of a bachelor.

By themselves though, I do agree with the burled woods, and especially the more exotic ones.

[basite]

how 'bout this?
http://www.bwspeakers.com/images/SpeakerModel/images/800D/800D_detail_two_large.jpg

sometimes black can be nice too, like the monitor audio gold series for example, their piano black is very sweet too :)

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[john_w]

Yep, that's the one! Though mine aren't quite so red, translucent or shiny. They're a little closer to a natural cherry. Same company and series though!

[gearhound]

My 1981 B&W DM12's use teak veneer, absolutely beautiful!
I also have a Washburn acoustic guitar, with a solid-spruce top, and Zebrawood sides and back. It is a stunning looking guitar, and tone wise, sound similar to mahogany.

Steve

[graywolf]

Thanks for all the great suggestions, fellas.

Primarily I'll be using veneers, to re-do a few pieces. No building from scratch at this time.

I'd like something attractive, easy to work with (at first), and affordable (in case I make a bunch of mistakes).

Something not rare would be nice too- I'd even consider pressed bamboo (really a grass) if it'd work well.

I personally like red woods, but blonde woods are nice as well, and are being considered.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

I'd love to hear more!

I would recommend cherry. Reasonably priced, fairly easy to work with, and properly finished it is beautiful.

[jimfet]

I like rosewood and Oak. Don't have anything in either though. Did have some 19's in oak. They looked great. Most everything I have now is walnut or black. Blah!!!!!!!!!!!

[jim w.]

well im in the process of trying to figure out how to build a case either out of tiger maple or birds eye maple!! and hard to work with very much so

[colinhester]

ribbon stripped Sapele it's a Mahogany variation.

Check this out: http://www.dcchomes.com/Mkhorn.html


Thanks for the link. What an inspiration!

[thedelihaus]

well im in the process of trying to figure out how to build a case either out of tiger maple or birds eye maple!! and hard to work with very much so

Whatcha got for tools?

Knowing you, you sly fox, some nice pieces, meaning with a tad touch of practice, Jimmy, you'd be able to do lots.

[Filmboydoug]

How about some Amazon Bloodwood...

[Brainwashed]

I'm a fan of curly maple. All of the projects I've seen that used it, just made me want to touch it to see if it was indeed flat, or if it was bumpy like it looks like it would be. I was shown an unfinished piece once, it's just as beautiful as the finished pieces.

[jim w.]

Whatcha got for tools?

Knowing you, you sly fox, some nice pieces, meaning with a tad touch of practice, Jimmy, you'd be able to do lots.

well a long time ago i owned a woodworking business,
but a friend of mine has got alot of equipment
some planers, both stanatry and portable sanders saws, files sanders an the such but im thinking bout tiger maple its gonna cost me but i think it will be worth it

hey guys just a quick note its not called curly maple its called tiger maple

[BULLWINKLE]

tiger=curly afaik

[dnewma04]

I change my mind almost monthly about what I like best. When I was much younger, it had to be Rosewood, and while I still like it, being introduced to other woods makes me change my mind pretty consistently. Mahogany, Cherry, Walnut, Rosewood, Bubinga, Sapele, and sometimes just the simplicity of maple, unfigured cherry, and oak just do it for me. Be careful with black walnut if you decide to use it, and be sure to wear a mask. The fibers are toxic and will stick in your lungs like asbestos. That's only black walnut, btw, not other varieties.

[BULLWINKLE]

Actually there a whole host of woods that are toxic/irritating to work with, cocobollo comes to mind. If you call your local library they can do a search for you.

[Grainger49]

Some of the most beautiful speakers Infinity made were made from Brazilian Rosewood.

That was in the old days when it wasn't endangered. Maybe it is why it is endangered?

[dnewma04]

Yes, lots that will cause allergic reactions but I don't know of another wood that causes the asbestosis effects in your lungs. Safety glasses aren't the only required safety devices you should be wearing.

[BULLWINKLE]

Excellent point.

[zoeinterloper]

Grumpy's speakers in cocobola are almost as lust worthy as Natalie! :yes:

Happy Listening! :beatnik:

[thedelihaus]

Lotsa good suggestions here- thanks!

I think the small speakers, like my Titans and my A-40s will get a mixed variety of finishes.

For variety.

For the amps/ect...

I very much love oranga and red, so either a stained wood or reddish wood will be used for my side panels on my Sansui and Denon gear.

[john_w]

I didn't know the wood dust in black walnut is toxic - I cut some up for firewood on occasion. Maybe that's why I'm the way I am. :scratch2: Nah, I've been this way since my mama dropped me. :stupid:

I did know that black walnut roots emit toxins that can potentially kill practically all fruit bearing vegitation that they come near. So this doesn't surprise me.

[jcmjrt]

If you are new to veneering and want to keep it as foolproof as possible, I would look to the 10mil paperbacked in large sheets. Typically burl woods are hard to deal with but the few that you may find paperbacked will make that task as easy as any other. A good hard setting glue is also pretty important if you want it to last well. I know some use contact cement but it's a pretty elastic glue and will move over time which may lead to cracks. You could probably get away with it with the paperbacked but I would use titebond II. You'll want the large pieces if you don't have a really good way (jig and router are one way) to cut the pieces exactly straight to piece together. I wouldn't go toooo exotic on the first piece.

[dnewma04]

I didn't know the wood dust in black walnut is toxic - I cut some up for firewood on occasion. Maybe that's why I'm the way I am. :scratch2: Nah, I've been this way since my mama dropped me. :stupid:

I did know that black walnut roots emit toxins that can potentially kill practically all fruit bearing vegitation that they come near. So this doesn't surprise me.

The leaves, if not raked up, will also take out grass, weeds, etc. Might make good mulch as long as you don't want ANYTHING growing. lol

[Paul C]

Check Gamalot's speaker thread in DIY. He used some self adhesive veneer from

http://www.oakwoodveneer.com/prices/prices_cross_3m.html

[stuartk]

I second the vote for mahogany. I have some mahogany bookcases that my Dad made in the '50s and they still look wonderful.

I also really like cherry.

Jim Salk had a pair of speakers done in Macassar Ebony at the Fest that were wonderful looking. I thought they looked better than the HT3s he had there, but at least one person did not agree. :-)

The HT3s are shown here: http://www.salksound.com/gallery-votm-0207-1.html