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Hi,

Thinking about using Bog Oak for next build, some of it carbon dates 5000 years old, cant believe they even had luthier stores back then.

Has anyone ever worked with this wood as I have some questions that I need to know before ordering and breaking the most expensive set I have ever bought

Firstly how does it sound/react? and can I thin it to rosewood thicknesses without cracking especially when bending sides

Other stuff is how does it sand, is it oily, clog everything up?

Finally finishing does it have pores to fill?

Thankyou in advance

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Bog Oak/Cedar Gyt sound? - Depends on the builder of course
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=-50hW3THU1k&feature=emb_logo

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I have a big chunk of it to resaw and a couple of sets. I have not worked with it yet but I am very much looking forward too. Isn't it the coolest stuff ever? The stuff I got came from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Yes looks amazing, trying to find out about the tonal properties

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That is one fine sounding guitar - and player.

Dave

There are some threads over on the Delcamp Classical Luthier forum on the use of bog oak.

Dave

I have only used it for fretboards and bridges so far. Not oily, somewhat open grained like european oak but denser machines and finishes well.

Bog oak doesn't seem ridiculously expensive like some other ancient" timbers and that set looks well quarter sawn.
I've built furniture from grey mud impregnated pilings but the bog oak is probably a bit different.
Has anyone tried making "faux bog oak"? With the relatively thin woods we build with, the porous nature of red oak, and some of the methods there are for ebonizing it with tannins and iron could someone achieve the same look?

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/tech ... zing_wood/

P.S. - if you could find quebracho lumber it might make an interesting fingerboard.

I have used the iron staining technique to blacken oak and it's great but it's not like the bog oak. The bog oak is black through and through while the ebonized oak is only skin deep. I would imagine that the bog oak, like sinker woods, is just different too.

No experience with bog oak, but considerable with Ancient Kauri (in the swamp for ~45,000 years).

From that experience, I would advise sticking to water soluble adhesives like HHG or PVA, unless you do testing. The cell walls change in that environment and things like epoxy or CA may leave an unsightly mess.


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I've used it extensively but only for fretboards, bridges and bindings - in other words as an ebony substitute. My stuff is a bit under age as it's only 4,000 years old. It planes, sands and works pretty much like the European oak that we get here. It's supposed to be a bit denser/harder but I haven't noticed the difference. If there is a difference it's certainly not night and day. As for back/sides - I don't think there's much demand for it with the playing public. The steel string world might be a bit more accepting of it than the classical nylon. I'm not saying that there isn't any demand, just that it's very low but you can probably say the same for many alternative timbers.
All the bog oak that I've bought has been an even black, no variation. Of course that's fine for fretboards and bridges. For back/sides I rather like the stuff that goes from black fading through to mid/dark brown. It just looks more visually interesting to my eye.
You certainly will need to fill the pores if you are after the glass like finish.

Thanks for the reply, it seems to have a demand in the UK where it is sourced.
The supplier sells out quickly with big names like Lowden Guitars using the wood sets for more exclusive (expensive) models. I have been assured it will have that silver look figuring, I hope so as I don't want a plain black back. Cheers

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