The timber of lime trees is soft, easily worked, and has very little grain, so it is a popular wood for model building and intricate carving. Ease of working and good acoustic properties also make it popular for electric guitar and bass bodies and wind instruments such as recorders. It is known in the trade as basswood, particularly in North America. This name originates from the inner fibrous bark of the tree, known as bast (Old English language). A very strong fibre was obtained from this, by peeling off the bark and soaking in water for a month; after which the inner fibres can be easily separated. This is one of the main attributes employed in model building, as when steamed lime can be bent to amazingly intricate shapes, even tied into knots.
Metric dimensions are 6.4mm x 75mm x 914mm