Real westfalia wood LIMBA

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for all that want LIMBA

http://www.interplac.de/english/Pages/Limba.html this shows what the real westfali wood look like

http://www.billkraemerveneers.com/products.html they have it and cn make paneal in any size . if you are on the eastcoast and want to go in on a largeer order to save let me know. i think if you just want the venear is cheap to ship but large playwood panels Like the drivers side could cost a lot to ship.

Early westfalia used the more pricey Quartersawn limba venear while later used but not always spiral cut limba venear the diffrence is the eary type has that cool ribbon like patern while the spiral is more borring looking like birch. But birch dos'nt have that yellow tone.
I think spril cut Limba is hard to find as most shops sell the better Quartersawn veaner.

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[velvetgreen]

thanks for posting that info- cool to know- i believe that this wood originates form africa and is considered an "extoci wood" which probably means it has an exostic price to go with it (not to mention you would prolly need to buy enough to outfit 10 westy's for most suppliers to be remotely interested)- still very helpful though- i wonder is so23westfalia.com alex is listening??

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I think I told so23westfalia.com alex about the Limba wood.
I am going to get back to him about some other stuff also . I havent yet as I have that bus gean which makes one lazy , put stuff off as well as being cheap.

[iamdonquixote]

the bus gene that make one lazy? naw, you are too hard on yourself..

[campingbox]

Jim, do any other Westy brochures (aside from the '58 brochure) state that they use Limba plywood?
Any chance I can get you to mail me out a sample to compare to the stuff in my '56?
I'm ready to cut some new wood interior panels for my bus right now.....although I can probably find a source for Limba (if it matches my original stuff) here on the left coast.

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Capingbox,
After playing with more early westfalia panels from 55 to 82 . All were LIMBA. Once you know the wood its easy to tell, it has it own smell and the grain and color is yelow not white like birch.
I think only the 58 mentions the wood.
I took some roof panesl out of a 64 westfalia and the back was a perfect match for my 57 camping trailer it was the same color with Quatersawn grain.
For your early campers you want the quater sawn Limba venear.
Quater sawn is how the wood is cut from the log its the most wastfull way.
They cut the log in quaters then slice the venear along the grain, this way has the best looking grain. later westfalia started to use the cheaper spiral cut. sprial is cut by spinging the log and has very big wide veanr with out much patern to it.
You should be able to find a Plywood mamufacter out your way that can make it.
I spent 3 days last year on the net looking and only found the one in USA that has it in stock and would make me any size panel with the grain in the right direction. They did send me a 8 foot by 12 " sample which uis dead on match to my 55 and 57 and 59 campers. If you email them they will send you a large sample . Just tell them you want a lot to make it worth there time.
Limba is very comomon in Germay as a plywood thats why they use it.
I think birch only comes from the us canada and russia in large numbers and germany and Russia wernt getting along back in the day so westfalia never use the cheap birch which grays real easy when water and sun come in to play.
Get the right wood for your real cool Westfalia LIMBA!
Did you see the link with pics it show a good example of the wood with that ribbion like grain

[surferbus]

Thanks for the info on the Limba. Most of my panels in my 1960 SO-23 are in very good to excellent shape, but the sub hatch panel and the roof panel that goes around the subhatch have quite a bit of water damage. The veneer is coming away from the backing. Mostly coming away in the narrow area between roof vent and sub hatch. Is it possible to splice a piece of veneer in there or should I just get a new piece of limba veneer and cut whole panel to fit. It does not show that area in picture, but can see some water damage. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_cat.php?cat_id=8
Thanks,

Gary
_________________
64 Deluxe
60 SO-23 Westy

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Me I like to keep it as orig as posible. If you can live with the small water stain I would leave it alone but make sure the leak is fixed and or keep it out of the rain. you could also try some wood bleach that might remove some of the stain.

[surferbus]

[campingbox]

[velvetgreen]

hey all- any thoughts on how close african avodire is to the LIMBA veneer that has been referred to previously??

here are some pics of what it looks like

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/avodire.htm

[hazetguy]

so Jim, please explain these. these are actual pics from genuine Westfalia literature. 2 are from flipseat brochures, one is from an so-42 & so-44 (1965) brochure, one from a 67 so-42 brochure.
both so-23 pieces i have only mention "attractive, light colored wood".

first line under "Standard Equipment:

#1:

last line at bottom:

in text:

_________________
thebucket: I invested in hoodride, now DBD won't return my call?
hazetguy: invested?
thebucket: Yeah Haze, its where people put money into a company in hopes of a return on their money

[doveblue3]

i dont think the wood was either limba or birch.....i always heard it was morning!

[hazetguy]

[velvetgreen]

"living-cum-workroom" hmm mebbe it is a literal translation from german or bob guccione was moonlighting writing westy brochures

time for me to "getalit" (life)

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The 58 Broucher mentions Limba plywood as the wood used.
All my westfalias from 55 to even the 80's have limba ply wood in them.
The two flip seats that I have check out close up were the same wood.
Its like once you Know what it looks like and have worked a lot with it from veanear to stripping and sanding the wood ect. you can tell a mile away if it limba.
Not sure why a brocher would say birch maybe the broucher was not done by westfalia but out of house.
They might have cared more in the 50,s to get the wood used right.
Ill I know is the wood was used uop into the vanagons.

[Clara]

I have some roof wood panels I pulled out of a early bay (68-71) The grain pattern is amazingly close to some birch that I have. The wood pannelling I have seen in some 50s westys looks different.

I am not sure I agree with your yellow/ vs white description though. Its more in the grain style I see the difference. But I see one brouchure saying limba for the cabinets, and 4 mentions of birch for the panels... hm...
did you look at the 65-early 70s westys ?

If the vanagon westys used the limba, maybe I should look at their interior panels in junkyards.
_________________
The Obsolete Air-Cooled Documentation Project http://oacdp.org/

[hazetguy]

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later Westfalia did used spril cut limba instead of the more costly quater cut.
In Germany Limba is a very very comon plywood but pretty rare in the US
I found on the back of a 67 roof panel mint quater sawn Limba grain, the out side was spiral (which has a birch look but a more open grain.
I end up useing this panel in my 57 Camping trailer and it was a perfect match to the orig paneling.
Another test is Limba has a unique smell when sanded once you know it its easy to tell.

[velvetgreen]

not to beat this to death but here in NA Baltic Birch goes for about $20/ for a 5' x5' sheet- LIMBA is an exotic wood and commands $$$ and most exotic wood places are not terribly interested in small time orders that a westy would require- especially making the "correct" five and a half (or so) foot long drivers side panel with the grain running horizontally- i opted for baltic birch for just those reasons