Grandpa's Workshop Ltd.

providing premium quality tonewood and tone wood for instrument makers.

tonewood, tone wood, spruce, maple, okotoks, alberta, instruments, wood, woodworking, by don barnes

Okotoks Alberta Canada

403-938-2245

vivid computers


During the acquisition and re-sawing of maple and spruce, our main impetus is log quality, not quantity. A very good maple will yield about 20% very high quality wood, 60% average-quality wood, and 20% lesser quality wood. While going through this process we developed the following rating scale, identifying the characteristics that an instrument maker might consider. Wood Rating Scale Click any of the samples below to see a larger photo (opens in new window). All wood sample photos by George Webber.
	AAA - The most uniform wood in color and growth ring size, with outstanding curl. Very difficult to bend and work, but makes the most outstanding finished product.
	AA - Well above average quality wood, and similar to AAA quality, but may have minor variations in color or growth ring size.
	A - The standard grade, which will be more than adequate for 90% of fine woodworking projects. Some variation in growth ring size, may have some wide rings, or may have some pink wood present. The coloration has little or no visual effect after application of colored varnish.
	B - The type of wood found in many factory-made instruments. It will have any or all of the variations described above. Perfect for hobbyists.
Spruce Grades As each maker has his own requirements when choosing spruce tonewood we will select wood that matches your specifications.
Other Wood	We also have ample supplies of quilted maple, British Columbia yew, yellow cedar, red cedar, and other native Canadian wood species. All can be re-sawn to any dimension specified.
Furthermore, we guarantee (unlike many commercial woodcutters) that the wood you order will come from the same log, if you make this request. Tonewood for harps, ukes, oriental instruments can be supplied on request We also offering custom resawing up to 40" wide and 8' long. There are also a limited number of figured rifle and gun stock blanks available. Top

Home | About Us | Our Products | Orders & Pricing | Wood Packages | Gallery | Contact Us

Grandpa's Workshop
Providing premium-quality tonewood for instrument makers
Okotoks, Alberta, Canada

Copyright © 2001-2008 Grandpa's Workshop Ltd.