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Hi folks, I started a post on the repair forum but thought I’d ask this question here. I am restoring my Grandfather’s Weissenborn style guitar and am in need of a quarter sawn mahogany side 4x40x .85. LMI doesn’t sell longer pieces and I am waiting on replies from Hibdon Hardwood and Timeless Instruments. I wonder if anyone can direct me? Thanks.


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I would be inclined to look locally for a mahogany board and re-saw the side myself rather than pay the additional cost and shipping to get a custom made side from a luthier supply. Using quartersawn material is not as critical with mahogany, but if you need a match, picking through the pile may let you come up with one.
I have re-sawed sides on a table saw by sawing through half the width, then flipping the board and sawing through the other half. I use a home made featherboard to hold the wood tight to the fence.

“I would be inclined to look locally for a mahogany board and re-saw the side myself rather than pay the additional cost and shipping to get a custom made side from a luthier supply.”

My only concern about buying locally is not knowing if the wood is actually kiln dried.

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Any mahogany you find is likely to have a fair amount of age on it. I’ve always thought that for sides, once they’ve been bent on a hot pipe, they would be pretty close to dry. I’ve never done any with intentionally green wood to test the theory.

i can slice you a piece of Khaya (African Mahogany) with that dimension and as close to quartered as you’ll probably get, or a piece of Sapele. I have no more large Honduran. Once it’s under the finish, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference between the Khaya and the Honduran.

Another option is to get two of the shorter sides and join them in the straight neck section with a strip of decorative binding inlay hiding the joint.

I suspect anyone that cuts and sells Mahogany sets for guitar is likely to have an orphan side available from time to time. I know Stewmac sells “bending practice” orphan sides… and I believe LMI does too. I know you said you checked LMI but if you haven’t called them and explained what you’re after to one of their staff I’d give that a try. They likely have a lot of orphan and scrap material around that doesn’t make it to the actual website. Ditto for Stewmac, especially now that they are cutting their own sets.

A quick google shows Gilmer wood and RC Tonewood also offer Weissenborn sets, so they may have orphan slices of the right length

Is your side thickness dimension a typo? Also, try Exotic Wood Zone in St. Louis. If you are repairing only one side, then I think you should have the wood in hand, or at least photos of the actual piece. Mohogany varies a lot in color.