So proud to play a Maton guitar that went through this all process and helped the income of many workers 🤟🏼 #matonguitars

Had the privilege of spending a day in the Otways with Murray, truly a master with the chainsaw and a hardworking and skillful operator. Murray knows his trees and his countryside intimately. The impact on the forest was minimal and measured. Only the oldest trees are harvested as i understand it. Blackwood has a relatively short-lived the life span- around 70 years after which it dies and often succumbs to insect attack making it unsuitable for harvesting. I will never forget that special day with one of Australia's outstanding craftsman. Sincerely, Barry Kerr, Luthier, Woodtoneguitars, Australia

Just my 2 cents for people complaining about the content of this Video: - If you watch to the end, you can see the end user of the timber is an established and reputable guitar manufacturer, do you really think they would source timber from someone who didn't possess a licence / have a knowledge in what they were doing? - Blackwood is a pretty expensive timber (at least for me on the west coast of Australia) so I highly doubt that what was taken from the tree in the video was all that was used from the tree. You saw the size of the trailer, obviously multiple trips would have been taken to recover the rest of it. Like Debra has already explained, this was just a video showing process, so not necessarily the final events that day (which most likely involved multiple trips back to the site, if not that day, in the following days).

Can’t believe Murray is still harvesting Blackwood from the Otways! Good on him for doing so. I met Murray in the 90s and bought half a trailer load of freshly sawn Blackwood billets which were originally destined for Maton guitars. I distinctly recall the cold morning we headed out - to a private property near the town of Forest, deep in the heart of the Blackwood country. It’s beautiful and green out there. Real rain forest environment. Trees are carefully selected before a chainsaw goes near them. The key is identifying trees with good colour, and better still fiddle back grain structure. I can attest to Murray’s harvesting techniques - minimal environmental damage as no heavy machinery is used, not even horses. Everything is hauled out on his poor shoulders. I reckon he’d have a bloody sore back each time he falls a tree. Blackwood typically grows in deep valleys and ravines so it is very hard work getting this timber out. Murray is well known to the instrument making industry here in Victoria - I know several guitar makers who use Murray’s Blackwood as the quality is super good. Good health to you Murray

That man could do open heart surgery with that chainsaw, a master at his craft, and those guitars are just beautiful.

Man, you have that saw tuned great! SCREAMIN'!

Skills. And just beautiful wood

Beautiful craftsmanship, love attention to detail, awesome skill with chainsaw also. Oh and beautiful guitars by the way.

Best video for in depth action by far!!!!!

Nice wood love how well the dude with the chainsaw milled it on site

Wonderful film, thx.

This guy is a beast! I love this video.

Great video great looking guitars

Love the PPE !

Pretty nice guitar, but I must say that was the most aggressive fret levelling I have every seen! Most luthiers do fret levelling carefully and precisely but I guess this guy has probably done this hundreds maybe thousands of times so it probably works out okay for him.i myself would never recommend a beginner try it like that because it is very easy to remove to much material to quickly. DO NOT attempt yourself if your not a expert or experienced luthier. Enjoyed the video.and looks to be a pretty well built quality instrument.

Wow ! That wood looks like it cuts like Iron and as heavy too !

I love the smell of 2 cycle gas/oil mix in the morning. It's the sound of victory!

How long does the wood have to sit for the moisture to get out of it, before you start using it to make a guitar?

Love it...

Love it

It's amazing dirt and water can turn into that.

What happened to the rest of the tree?

I'm sorry for my ignorance I hope anybody can tell me what kind of wood is that besides Blackwood once again thank you very much guys God bless you

Hi Debra. How long does it take to dry this wood for use. Great video

Do you own thís big tree ....Sir ?

Watching you cut off the sapwood made me cry…

Which Blackwood is this cause I look at the maton website Just says Blackwood It looks similar to walnut or Queensland walnut I found tasmainian Blackwood which has a lighter colour than this tree

cool vid...somewhat cathartic. isn't this the brand guitar that Tommy Emanuel uses?

Que madeira linda ,qual nome?

Nice work sir,..

Hi Debra , may we get a piece for a special neck thru 10 string guitar i'm building, 60" x 5" x 5" so my log needs to be longer please and quarter sawn at the mill. those stumps your cutting are too short and stubby, it ruins it for necks.

Where abouts in Vic was this? Otways?

Love watching a MASTER with a chainsaw !! This guy knows his wood ! AWESOME video !

That should be enough for the neck. What are you making the top from?

I want some! We have black walnut , juglans nigra and silver leaf maple, white oak, persimmon, black locust ( pseudo acacia) here in central Oklahoma. For soundboards we have Eastern red cedar. When I get some dried I will start the Oklahoma sustainable wood series

Si cortas un árbol deberías sembrar (plantar,etc) 10 más

How much for the big block of wood

Where?

Love this australian wood

Is this the Australian Blackwood (Tasmanian Blackwood)?

What license that allowed you to cut live trees? Are you in Tas or Vic?

Sweet...

What kind of tree or name?

Thsts what i need Few of does blocks To build my one pcs acoustic guitar.

And how many guitars does he get out of a tree? Just asking for a friend.

Master with a chainsaw, but even with kiln drying that wood could not have been ready in a short amount of time? Beautiful instruments and some serious workmanship going into them , thanks for sharing this video.

Where did u filmed it, country

Where is this at ?

how long takes to dry that wood ?? ... 1 year ?? .... 2 ??

Wtf he is good in saw, hats off 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

The tree lives on.

Can anyone say who the supplier is that one may purchase some blackwood?

I never saw a Grenadill-tree this big!

This is Australia so I would imagine that the cutting of a tree like this is carefully monitored . But who is around to notice ?

How old is the tree? It is important the guitars so made from the wood bring back life.

Is this in Melbourne?

My only question is, did he make use of the entire tree? Or, did he only use the small amount of wood that we saw him carry out of the woods?

Is this Acacia Melanoxylon ?

is there any way you could put me in touch with this man

Savage man

There's nothing quite like the feel of a STIHL chainsaw!! They'll cut through any kind of wood like a hot knife through butter!

Minimal destruction and very satisfying 👍

i like your busness

did anyone notice that the tree did not go where he had notched it but to the right of that!

Wow

Madeira Verde !!!

nice walnut wood

Nice Chainsaw

Dude has mad skills with a chainsaw.How long has he been in the bush?

mate the bucking holden

getting the blackwood with the kingswood haha good stuff

That guy id good with a chain saw

Wow beautifully AWSOME,,,,,

11:30...I did that to the neck of my Martin D 28, scary but it played a lot better for it.

Takes a long, long time for a tree to grow. Looooonnnnngggg time.

btw Acacia melanoxylon is the botanical name. I am intrigued, 1974 model car with Victorian number plates. There are small portable mills to do this type of work, why a chain saw. Tas Blackwood does occur in Victoria and in fact a good way up the eastern sea board but logs like that are rare outside of Tasmania. The Maton factory looked much as it did when I got a tour in 1982; has it not changed? Both the billets and the guitar looked like Blackwood. There was no defect in the log? There was no seasoning process? I think on private land under some circumstance this may be a legal practice. These timbers can be purchased via normal commercial channels, that is from a timber yard. I know this from first hand experience. Something here just ain't right?

I wish I could have been there. Ya, another wood nut.

Tasmanian Blackwood?

Is it legal ?!

And what scientific name of blackwood?

Kinda sad to see that giant ancient tree get cut down like that

I'm here because of my Maton's

Necesito una guitarra :3 , pero la pobreza ustedes saben :c

Might want to join the Plumbers Union with all that crack in your video..lol

And he didn't quarter saw the log and yet he got straight grains.

I thought it a movie about tree fellers, instead it was only one

Best wood for a bonfire.

Rip trees...

I feel sad...

I love guitars but I also love trees and wildlife, so there is somewhat of a personal moral dilemma for me. But I recognise that as long as the tree species' conservation status is secure, if the timber can be sourced by a reputable feller without damage to the forest ecosystem, and if the tree is checked for its habitat value (e.g. hollows for wildlife - although I don't think this particular species develops hollows) prior to felling, then one such tree can provide for alot of guitars without a negative impact on the forest ecosystem. The large scale removal of forest and native vegetation for agriculture, urban sprawl and other large industries such as woodchipping (heinous) is a far, far greater threat to the environment.

Ambientalistas fazem a festa. Hahaha

which species' name? because "blackwood" is a generic name, please

lol - that tree had enough wood for about 50,000 guitars.

Uma madeira como essa ainda demora mais de 10 anos para ficar estavel.

Who permits you to kill a tree?

He timbered the whole tree by hand? Something inside me wants to call BS. The other part wants me to believe!

I HEAR NO BIRDS SINGING IN THIS WOOD!ROCKN ROLLY!

Now you want to see blackwood?check out Mpingo wood from Africa

I guessed was Australia with the Kingwoods

Dr