Hi Chris,
I also would see no problem in carving the rose in a warmer (and thus
drier) room. Remember that humidity is measured is as relative
humidity: the actual moisture in the air relative to the amount of
moisture the air could hold at that temperature. For the same amount
of moisture in the air, the relative humidity goes down as the
temperature goes up. You might want to glue on your bracing in the
warmer and drier environment at home. It's easier for the soundboard
to adjust to an increase in humidity with the braces in place than it
is for it to cope with a drastic decrease in humidity. That's why
you get cracked soundboards when people put their lute cases next to
radiators in the winter.
My workshop is in the basement of my house, which goes through
seasonal changes in humidity from summer to winter. I deliberately
prepare wood for building in the summer when the humidity is higher,
but actually build instruments in the winter, when the humidity is at
its lowest. Seems to work for me.
Good luck and have fun!
Tim
On Feb 10, 2009, at 6:41 PM, Howard Bryan wrote:
Hi, Chris,
Based on experience with harp soundboards, as long as the board is
not constrained, as it is now if you have not glued on the braces,
there is no problem with taking it into a drier place. The
problems occur when the wood is not allowed to freely expand or
contract, which occurs after it is braced and again after it is
glued to the bowl.
We make our soundboards by gluing up the sections, than we take the
board into a drying cabinet for 48 hours before attaching anything
that would limit its ability to move. We are careful to see that
the moisture content is below 8% before we glue the board to the
soundbox. This way there is very little "seasonal cracking" as the
humidity changes over a year.
Best!
GHB
Chris Newman wrote:
Mike and Julien,
Many thanks for the cautionary advice
I was planning to work on the rose before bracing the soundboard
but it's sounding risky
maybe I'll just put another layer of clothes on and work in the
workshop
regards
Chris
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