MIMF

Hi All,
I just got a couple of Port Orford Cedar tops and plan on using them for a small 0 size steel string. I've never worked with it before. I know it's not a real cedar, so I'm wondering what to thickness the tops to. More like cedar or more like spruce?

It is a cypress and a bit harder and more dense than most cedar, more like a dense spruce, but different. Probably about .100" or so. Much depends on your design and bracing, and the strings you plan to use. You can always reach inside and shave braces with a finger plane if need be, but make sure the structure has time to develop it's voice a bit before shaving stuff. It's easy to do too much if you do it too soon.

I just finished a POC top classical. It looks a bit like spruce, weighs a bit more, and like all woods it varies a lot from piece to piece. My take on the pieces I've worked with so far is that it is similar to Yellow Cedar (also a cypress) in that it can be very flexible across the grain compared to the quality of spruce and cedar I'm used to. This may be just the selection of pieces I have, so don't take that as true in all cases.

Michael makes a very good point that applies to any wood. It takes a while to adjust initially and can readjust just as slowly. Don't expect an instant change in tone/volume/??? when you shave a brace. I often give it several days (strung up and being played occasionally) to determine what (or if) difference I can see/hear from a change I made. It can be frustrating to wait all that time and determine nothing happened, but that's how it goes. Make sure you have a way to really measure any possible change. It's just guessing otherwise. I do believe that thinner tops adjust quicker, but I couldn't prove that. There are also times when just playing an instrument in for a few weeks will change things enough that the problem disappears.

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