Skip to main content
Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

Download PDF

Physical and mechanical properties required for violin bow materials II: Comparison of the processing properties and durability between pernambuco and substitutable wood species

Journal of Wood Science volume 44, pages 142–146 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

Pernambuco (Guilandina echinata Spreng. syn Caesalpinia echinata Lam.), which has been used for a material of violin bows, was compared with substitutable wood species from the viewpoint of processing properties and durability. The properties required for bow material are discussed. The shearing strength of pernambuco was higher than that of the other wood species at the same specific gravity. High shearing strength seems to be effective for preventing damage to the head (top part) of the bow. The presence of extractives affects the thermal softening of wood material, but ease of handling and permanent retention of form are not particularly superior for pernambuco, although it does have a high extractives content. A peculiarly low loss tangent (tan S) of pernambuco can probably be attributed to the large amount of extractives, rather than the mean microfibril angle.

References

  1. Sugiyama M, Matsunaga M, Minato K, Norimoto M (1994) Physical and mechanical properties of pernambuco (Guilandina echinata Spreng) used for violin bows (in Japanese). Mokuzai Gakkaishi 40:905–910

    Google Scholar 

  2. Matsunaga M, Sugiyama M, Minato K, Norimoto M (1996) Physical and mechanical properties required for violin bow materials. Holzforschung 50:511–517

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cave ID (1966) Theory of X-ray measurement of microfibril angle in wood. Forest Prod J 16:37–42

    Google Scholar 

  4. Yamamoto H, Okuyama T, Yoshida M (1993) Methods of determining the mean microfibril angle of wood over a wide range by the improved Cave's method. Mokuzai Gakkaishi 39:375–381

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ono T, Norimoto M (1983) Study on Young's modulus and internal friction of wood in relation to the evaluation of wood for musical instruments. Jpn J Appl Phys 22:611–614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Norimoto M, Tanaka F, Ohgama T, Ikimune R (1986) Specific dynamic Young's modulus and internal friction of wood in the longitudinal direction (in Japanese). Wood Res Techn Notes 22:53–65

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan

    Masahiro Matsunaga

Authors
  1. Masahiro Matsunaga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kazuya Minato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masahiro Matsunaga.

Additional information

Part of this report was presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society in Kumamoto, April 1996.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Matsunaga, M., Minato, K. Physical and mechanical properties required for violin bow materials II: Comparison of the processing properties and durability between pernambuco and substitutable wood species. J Wood Sci 44, 142–146 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00526260

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00526260

Key words

  • Pernambuco
  • Violin bow
  • Shearing strength
  • Processing property
  • Mean microfibril angle