WOODS FOR LUTE CONSTRUCTION

Neckblock
A piece of sycamore, mahogany, limewood, basswood, cedar of Lebanon,
poplar, willow 130mm x 52mm x 77mm. Limewood is the easiest to carve,

LIMEWOOD

Ribs, [these are the separate strips of wood that make up the back]
Sycamore, maple,[not rock maple], birds eye maple, plumwood, rosewood,
kingwood, ebony, walnut, yew, cocobolo, ciracote, padauk, ash, macassar
ebony, personally I use Central american cedar.

QUEENSLAND MAPLE

TASMANIAN BLACKWOOD

Rib Spacers
If you are using a dark wood for your ribs get strips in holly or sycamore or
boxwood; if you are using light ribs get strips of ebony or rosewood or even
sycamore stained black. You need about a dozen and the best measurement
is 0.8mm thick x 2.5mm wide and 760mm long. You will need two ebony
strips of the same size for the edges to the soundboard when the lute is
nearly finished, I’d order these at the same time and get some spares, they
are easily broken!

SYCAMORE

Endliner
This is the little bent piece of pine or spruce that goes round the bottom of
the lute inside where the endclasp is. You need a piece 360mm x 30mm x
8mm.

BEECH

Neck
360mm x 115mm x 35mm sycamore [NOT figured], maple, beech,
Brazilian mahogany.

QUEENSLAND MAPLE
Neck
360mm x 115mm x 35mm sycamore [NOT figured], maple, beech,
Brazilian mahogany.

QUEENSLAND MAPLE

Neck Veneer
I will be basing my design on veneering the neck with ebony as was most
common in the baroque period. You can veneer with any hard dark wood

JARRAH

Pegbox
This is made up just like a little box of the simplest construction. Use
sycamore or beech. You need two pieces 305mm x 25mm x 10mm, one
piece 65mm x 25mm x 25mm, one piece 25mm x 25mm x 25mm and one
small thin sheet 300mm x 90mm x 2mm

BEECH

Bass Rider
Use the same wood to match the pegbox, you need a piece 150mm x 100mm
x 25mm.

BEECH

Soundboard
A normal guitar sized soundboard set, to make up 560mm x 360mm.

SPRUCE

Bars
They should be made of the same wood as the soundboard and also quarter-
sawn, like the front. This is important, the year-rings should run parallel to
the surface of the soundboard, not vertical like guitar bracing. You need
enough to make 8 braces across the front 25mm deep x 6mm wide. [This is
enough for spares, sometimes you can get enough off the sides of the
soundboard pieces to make the braces, so if you have the chance, buy the
thickest and widest soundboard pieces possible to cover the braces as well.
However choose the soundboard first of all for grain quality, size for bars is
just a secondary consideration!]

Fingerboard
Usually ebony, but you could use any hard dark wood, perhaps Jarrah would
be good for the Australian party. 360mm x 100mm x 2mm
JARRAH

Bridge
Plumwood is the best for this but pearwood or sycamore or maple or walnut
would do. Should be a nice straight even grained piece 230mm x 25mm x
12mm

Pegs
Again, plumwood is excellent and used in a lot of suviving instruments.
Other woods which will work well are boxwood; lilac [syringia]; rock maple
[but not ordinary syscamore]; beechwood; oak [though it's a bit rough];
rosewood; african blackwood; applewood. Pearwood I find rather too soft.
Personally I like making my pegs out of cocobolo, - 24 pieces 130mm x
12mm x 20mm tapering to 10mm, plus how ever many spares you think you
might need.