WOOD(?) Circuit Boards

[gary sanders]

Ive been browsing around the forum and seen circuit boards that appear to be made of wood.It actually looks like Ipe wood that is used for decking,which is hard as a rock!Anyone know if this?

[dobbhill]

Wood grained Formica.

[FUCHSAUDIO]

There are actually a few builders who have used hardwood for circuit boards. Somebody on the gear page posted some pics of someone who had done it. I would be worried about moisture personally, but it did look cool as heck. The D-style builds you've seen have likely been formica. The woodgrain sounds better than any other colors btw....

[BobW]

Gary, I built this a few years ago, and no moisture issues (yet).

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... light=sano

[Structo]

Could be maple?

[talbany]

Gary, I built this a few years ago, and no moisture issues (yet).

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... light=sano

Bob

I don't remember seeing that amp before..Very Cherry!!..Nice speaker Too.. Those kinds of builds are just plain fun Huh!!!..

T

[BobW]

Thanks Tony, my target was to find a novel (read; cheap) way to get a decent tone based on the 70s ODS for this pawn shop bargain. As you know, I don't really recommend using wood for boards, since their overall cost is such a small percentage of the whole build.

btw, Very nice tone and great chops on your recent sound clips.

[talbany]

btw, Very nice tone and great chops on your recent sound clips

Thanks!!

[Luthierwnc]

The voice of reason:

I make almost all my amps for myself. Sometimes there are reclaimed parts from previous builds. Sometimes there are extra holes. Frequently there are mismatched lock washers. UL worthy? Sometimes.

Then again, I own a lot fewer amps than I have built -- which means some of them have found their way into the general public. I wouldn't want it coming back on me that someone incinerated themselves or their guitar because I used experimental components as a form of self-expression.

Garolite is ugly and it smells like ass when you cut it but it is absolutely non-conductive and I can't break it with my bare hands. Having had a few guitars come back with cracks in the rosewood, I know I would just as soon not have a circuit board come back for the same reason. And that isn't just for things I have directly sold, traded or given away. They will change hands again so my cautions for known anamolies are lost through the chain. The next buyer doesn't know it used to be a church organ.

Back to the point, you need to ask yourself if it is as safe as you can make it with every decision. There are a lot of volts out there. Skip

[TheHandsomeOrk]

I made a nonhrm 100w with wood grained formica 1 year ago and it's holding up well. Formica cheaper than wood, for the discerning ( read cheap) builder.[/img]

[gary sanders]

I made a nonhrm 100w with wood grained formica 1 year ago and it's holding up well. Formica cheaper than wood, for the discerning ( read cheap) builder.[/img]

That just looks realy cool.Where do I get some wood grain formica?

[Sonny ReVerb]

That just looks realy cool.Where do I get some wood grain formica?

This is what you're looking for. Try your local big name hardware store (Home Depot, etc.). They can usually order it. Or find a shop that does counter tops. They might give you some scraps for free. Though I haven't seen many wood grain counter tops, lately...

Here's a piece I found.

This is an interesting search engine I found that might be helpful. It shows availability at your local Lowe's and Home Depot: http://milo.com/

[BobW]

The voice of reason:

I make almost all my amps for myself. Sometimes there are reclaimed parts from previous builds. Sometimes there are extra holes. Frequently there are mismatched lock washers. UL worthy? Sometimes.

Then again, I own a lot fewer amps than I have built -- which means some of them have found their way into the general public. I wouldn't want it coming back on me that someone incinerated themselves or their guitar because I used experimental components as a form of self-expression.

Garolite is ugly and it smells like ass when you cut it but it is absolutely non-conductive and I can't break it with my bare hands. Having had a few guitars come back with cracks in the rosewood, I know I would just as soon not have a circuit board come back for the same reason. And that isn't just for things I have directly sold, traded or given away. They will change hands again so my cautions for known anamolies are lost through the chain. The next buyer doesn't know it used to be a church organ.

Back to the point, you need to ask yourself if it is as safe as you can make it with every decision. There are a lot of volts out there. Skip

I understand your concerns, and agree with your perspective, but don't know if your comments were directed to my particular build? So I need to clarify some concerns here for anyone considering wood as a circuit board material. Cost as you may know is usually a major driving factor in any manufactured product and if it were not for UL / NFPA restrictions, in the case of amplifiers, I doubt some manufacturers (imports come to mind here) would incur the additional costs to be UL compliant.
In my particular build, this amp is for my personal use only. Although there are "lots of volts out there", as you say, the component spacing and power dissipation of my particular build is not enough to raise the ambient internal temperature enough to incinerate the boards. After thoroughly bench testing it, I feel comfortable knowing the limitations of this build, and also believe when using it in a temperature and humidity controlled environment (in my house), there won't be any issues with internal temperature rise or humidity.

Do I recommend wood for general circuit board use? Certainly not, but as mentioned in earlier posts, this was a one-time novelity amp to show it can be done, and knowing the limitations and not exceeding them mitigates any issues concerning this particular amp.

[Luthierwnc]

Oh no, Bob. That build looks fine -- and you have been doing this for a long time. My advice is more for some of the newer builders who might figure any wood is fine.

I used to live in New Mexico. One guitar I built ended up in Florida and the top swelled so much I needed to shave the bridge down 1/8" just to get the action playable again. Had I built the same instrument in Florida and shipped it to the desert, that swell would have been a crack down the soundhole brace line -- unless there was a line of turrets sticking out of the top along the same year's summerwood. Then it would have broken where they had been pounded in against the grain like splitting firewood.

Were I to consider a wooden circuit board, it would be a sturdy, long-grained wood laminated to a cross-section of veneer at a 90 degree angle with a non-hygroscopic glue. I might even go one at 45 degrees and another at 45 the other way. Then I would hit the thing across the shop with a 5-iron to see if it stayed in one piece

[BobW]

Thanks for the input Luthier,

I agree, some of the newer builders need to know the limitations, and discussions like this help us all out. +1!