Deloraine Stringfest is for farmers
The 2015 Deloraine Stringfest will be on the 20-22 March.
The new Deloraine Stringfest website is now online.
This website will be updated as the program for the 2015 festival develops over the coming months. Check it out!
Stringfest is for sawmillers, foresters, luthiers, wood merchants, retailers, artists and people who just appreciate beauty, craft and music; and that’s a mighty big audience!
But I believe it will be Tasmanian farmers who eventually become the real heroes of the Deloraine Stringfest.
The men and women who make the 30+ year commitment and investment, who have the interest and passion, to plant and grow the trees that eventually become the tonewoods and the instruments.
Without these people Stringfest (and the tonewood/luthier industry) has an uncertain future.
Sell your existing trees
At this year’s Stringfest there were tonewood merchants displaying and selling their timber. But they were also buying! They were getting offers of trees and logs from quite a few people.
So if you have trees that you think may have value as tonewood come along to Stringfest and talk to the tonewood merchants. Even some planted exotic trees may be of value. For example the tonewood industry is looking for redwoods and any of the true (Atlas/Lebanon/Deodara) cedars. Good quality blackwood is always in demand.
Learn how to grow blackwood
Blackwood is Australia’s premier tonewood. Come to Stringfest and find out how to grow blackwood in plantation, or turn that patch of degraded remnant blackwood forest into something of real commercial value.
There is great potential for growing commercial blackwood in northern Tasmania. Help secure Stringfest’s future. Plant a tree (or 2)!
Come to Stringfest and find out more.
I’ll be there to answer questions about growing commercial blackwood.
There will be a portable sawmilling demonstration on how to identify/select a tonewood log, and the issues involved with sawing these logs into tonewood billets.
There will also be a ½ day field visit to a successful private blackwood plantation. Places for this field visit are limited so contact me soon to reserve you place.
See you at the 2015 Deloraine Stringfest!