NafQan
Oud Admirer
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Registered: 11-21-2019
Location: Syria
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Citrus/Lemon wood for soundboards
Was wondering if anyone has had experience with citrus wood as tone wood for oud soundboards.
A quick search on the net reveals that it is soft enough for vibrating:
EUROPEAN LIME
Janka Hardness: 700 lbf (3,100 N)
Average Dried Weight: 33 lbs/ft3 (535 kg/m3)
Here are the hardnesses of spruce varieties:
ENGELMANN SPRUCE
Janka Hardness: 390 lbf (1,740 N)
Average Dried Weight: 24 lbs/ft3 (385 kg/m3)
SITKA SPRUCE
Janka Hardness: 510 lbf (2,270 N)
Average Dried Weight: 27 lbs/ft3 (425 kg/m3)
So it is a bit harder than spruce but still soft, its colour and grain are really beautiful.
Has anyone played a guitar or an oud with a citrus wood soundboard? Would be greatly obliged for any input on this matter.
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coolsciguy
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Sabsaby recently made an oud with Maple soudboard:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=279313074210067&am...
Dried weight for Maple is ~44.0 lbs/ft3.
I play an oud with Sapele soundboard (average dried weight of 42 lbs/ft3). It's not as loud as Spruce but very warm.
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dusepo
Oud Junkie
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I think there may be some misunderstanding here. European Lime (Tilia) is not the citrus tree that gives lime or lemon fruits (Citrus), it's a member
of the Linden family, closely related to American Basswood.
Lime as in Tilia would be ok for soundboards - I've seen it used on some Chinese-made guitars for various parts. Lime as in Citrus might also never
grow large enough to yield soundboard wood.
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naf
Oud Addict
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Location: Damascus - Syria
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@dusepo, you are absolutely right European Lemon is not Citrus!!! Thanks for pointing that out. The similarity in the name confused me.
Concerning size, I have found an old trunk that is around 50 cm wide and a a meter high. So I think it could be used for a soundboard. Originally I
made those cuts to make rosettes for some old ouds I had:
But I can make them larger to cover the area needed by a soundboard.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find metrics on the properties of this wood on the net. I tried to measure its weight and extrapolate. From the samples I
have, I guess its dry weight per cubic meter might be 800-900 kilograms. So it might be harder than I thought. Though when cutting it while making the
rosettes, it felt really soft and easy.
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dusepo
Oud Junkie
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Registered: 2-6-2021
Location: London, Britain
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Mood: Dastgah-e Chahargah ?????? ???????
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Quote: Originally posted by naf  |
Unfortunately, I couldn't find metrics on the properties of this wood on the net. I tried to measure its weight and extrapolate. From the samples I
have, I guess its dry weight per cubic meter might be 800-900 kilograms. So it might be harder than I thought. Though when cutting it while making the
rosettes, it felt really soft and easy. |
It is very soft and is usually used for carving, so a good choice for a rosette/shamsiya.
Here's some data: https://www.wood-database.com/european-lime/
Average Dried Weight: 33 lbs/ft3 (535 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .42, .53
Janka Hardness: 700 lbf (3,100 N)
Modulus of Rupture:12,380 lbf/in2 (85.4 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 1,698,000 lbf/in2 (11.71 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 6,500 lbf/in2 (44.8 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 5.0%, Tangential: 7.5%, Volumetric: 12.0%, T/R Ratio: 1.5
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