Anybody tried "Roasted" Lumber?

[bubbles]

Been looking at some lumberyard websites and I saw some "Roasted Maple" and "roasted red oak"
Just wondering if anyone has tried this for a belly, like a roasted maple backed with hickory or something?
Searched for the process and found this http://lumberjocks.com/topics/52092
 -- kiln dried to 4% then heated at 360 degrees F for four hours --
Basically "pre-heat treated" wood. 
Just wondering if has been tried and with success or if the process might render the wood too brittle? I.E too much heat for too long?

Thanks

[AH]

I'm curious, what would be the advantage in roasting lumber?

[Arrowind]

Do you mean 4% moisture content?  That's way tooooooo low.   It would be toooo dry and snap like crackers. 

[koan]

I would think the hickory would love 4% but i wouldnt even try redoak at that low mc...ofcourse leavin it outside for a day or 2 would bring it back up considerably imo... Brian

[bubbles]

4% is super low,  but this would be strictly a belly wood.  And let it sit around to come back up to RH before use. 

[Buckeye Guy]

I say go for it !
Splendid thinking !
So far I have only seen pine , so had not thought of it myself !
Hickory or Boo would be my try for backing !
This should be interesting !
Buy extra it may take a few attempts to get it perfected !
Keep us informed !
Guy

[bubbles]

They have smaller boards, so I might try it on a minibow. I don't know when ill get to the lumberyard next. I was just surfing, comparing prices and making a "wood wish list" is that weird? .  I will try to post any results.

[Poggins]

I'd say they get it down to 4% before " roasting " it to prevent damage .
I agree with letting the moisture rise before use .

[bubbles]

Right. This is not something that I'm doing, this is a process that they are putting the lumber through at the kiln. 

[Don Case]

If they take it to 4% and 'then' put it in a 360 oven for 4 hours I would think it would be almost 0% MC. It would almost be a briquette. I wonder if it would recover and ever reach ambient. I did a little googling about it and a couple of people said it was very brittle, but that may have been straight out of the oven. The only way to know is to boo back some and bend it. Wear a hard hat.

[Buckeye Guy]

I think moister %will have little to do with this wood , it is way past that !

[bubbles]

Here's a pic from the lumberyard website.  Doesn't look quite like charcoal - Looks kinda like a belly that's just been toasted, which is why it piqued my interest.   I wonder if it might be a good idea to give it a thicker backing than just 1/8" of hickory.  Either way it will be an interesting experiment. 

[JW_Halverson]

It will make an interesting experiment, for sure.  But without sister slats from side by side off the tree, it will be hard to determine what effect the roasting will have. 

My supposition?  The wood has been heat treated.  Put a good backing strip on and you are building a fast bow!

[Buckeye Guy]

Think narrow on the bow width not thicker on the backing !
But we wont know till you get at it , so hurry up !
Guy

[M-P]

Howdy,  I have no idea how this would work for bow bellies.  I have an acquaintance who is currently commercially producing such a product.   His intended customer(s) are makers of electric guitar bodies.   At least in his process, the goal is to make a more uniform product, but not denser!  The result is supposed to make an  acoustically more uniform and stable product.    Ron