G'day all,

While getting involved in Bodhran Making ... Thread (somewhere about the wooden 'Tippers")I spun off into a personal interest in wooden (and other - even real) "bones".

I seem to have entered another of my 7-10 years spaced obsessions with wooden "bones". One of my areas of interest is the effect on the development of Australian music traditions of the need for portable and improvised instruments. I keep getting references from old timers/stage players/etcetera to wooden "bones" ("you can't get the real old time, heavy bones - the 'ivory' ones - these days"). I would be very keen to discuss experiences, wood types, designs, results, preferences, etcetera with anyone else in this area.

One of my troubles is that every one of these old blokes has a different idea of what is the best (or "only") timber suitable. One particularly frequent reference was to Lignum Vitae (now difficult to get due to CITES legislation). I did obtain some ~late '80s/early '90s from a friend at Naval Docks and have made several different (often quite successful) designs but I have not covered all the other references.

I recently obtained some Tasmanian timbers, during a family visit, and have made "bones" of Tasmanian Blackwood (very successful from solid or steam-bent), Tasmanian Maple (not so good), Blackheart Sassafras (fair), Huon Pine (poor from heartwood but very good results from a flitch taken off the outer bole!).

I have also used some mainland timbers: Queensland Walnut (good, after some work), Coachwood (not too loud and does not steam-bend well), old Tallow Wood (too brittle - possibly just to well seasoned), (possibly) Red Ironbark (very good, but does not bend too well and the rather old plank I had was too thin to make up from solid or band-saw). I was given some Australian Purpleheart (a beautiful Mulga) but it was so hard that playing bones was like playing with two pieces of curved steel!

My reference piece is a pair of Brush Box bones Dad made about 30 years ago. These were band-sawn straight from the plank and are nearly perfect! - Well, I guess they keep me honest!

I would really like to discuss the subject with someone else that has experience of a range of woods - both with Australians, using our local woods and anyone else using their own timbers in America (or anywhere else).

Keep on knockin' away,

Bob Bolton