Where to start on roughed out neck

[Kbore]

Hi everyone. My rough shaped neck is ready to be shaped (kit). There is 1/32 of neck overhanging the attached finger board, and I'm keeping the diamond volute (which is really rough on the lead-in to the headstock. Where do you start on shaping the neck? I've made profile templates, I'm at a loss to how best proceed. Could you post a couple of bullets of which end and which tools to use to get it started?

[johnnparchem]

The short answer is take away any of the wood on the neck that does not look like the neck you want.

At that stage I would glue on a heel cap and and use a rasp taking long strokes along the heel finish the heel so that it flows into the heel cap. I would then use rasp or spokeshave and taper the neck to match the fretboard. You can clean up the volute with a homemade sanding stick or if you are good with a chisel use one.

If after all of that the neck shape is OK use some strips of sandpaper shoeshine style to clean up the transition to fretboard.

[phavriluk]

Has the neck been attached- - - trial fitted, and the neck angle set to its final configuration?

And if the fingerboard is attached, make sure that it's masked off and no inadvertent contact with rasps/files/planes is possible.

If the fingerboard is not attached, maybe it should be before any other shaping happens. I don't think we want to do any rounding of the neck at the point of contact with the fingerboard.

Has a secure way of holding the neck while shaping been developed?

[Kbore]

Has the neck been attached- - - trial fitted, and the neck angle set to its final configuration?

And if the fingerboard is attached, make sure that it's masked off and no inadvertent contact with rasps/files/planes is possible.

If the fingerboard is not attached, maybe it should be before any other shaping happens. I don't think we want to do any rounding of the neck at the point of contact with the fingerboard.

Has a secure way of holding the neck while shaping been developed?

Thanks for the replies. The neck has been trial fitted for pitch, roll, yaw, altitude and neck angle (ACE) as John describes it. Fingerboard is attached- I will mask it off before proceeding. I have a pattern vise that holds the neck very securely I've already removed the hard glue squeeze out clamping with the vise. And there's a lot that doesn't look like "neck" lol. I'll attach the heel cap before proceeding....

[tippie53]

what I do is set the thickness of the 1st and 10th fret that gives me a target
there is also a set of neck profiles here .

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7557&p=40707&hilit= ... ile#p40707

[Diane Kauffmds]

Everyone has their favorite way of working. Some start at the top and work their way down and some the opposite. I know that some of this is already done on your neck, but I'll go through the whole process anyway. I like to:

1. Shape the headstock. Glue your headplate to the headstock. Use a template for your chosen shape. Mark the tuner positions by drilling tiny holes, just deep enough to mark the positions, not all the way through. When the headstock is shaped, drill your tuner holes the size needed for your tuners.

2. Work your way down the neck, profiling. I don't know what tools you have. My first neck was done entirely by sanding. I made sanding shapes out of wood to get into the areas that I needed. Now I have Japanese IWASAKI carving files. They're chemically polished. They remove wood like a rasp, but leave it smooth like a file. They're great. They come in straight and convex, large and small. Here's a link to one. Just search the site or internet for the others. You can actually get creative here if you want. I made a profile on my second guitar that's shaped based on my hand. It's narrowest at the bottom, toward my palm and wider where my thumb rests. John has also suggested using sandpaper in your fretting hand, then sand up and down the neck to create a profile unique to your hand.

http://www.philadelphialuthiertools.com ... _source=bc

3. Shape the heel. Get the heel close to the final shape. Make sure that the heel is the right length, so when the cap is glued, it wont overhang, or be too short. Then attach the heel cap, so you can take away the material around it. I know some people can shape all of this once the neck is on the guitar. I like to shape it before gluing the neck.

I actually work on the heel and neck at once. I use a 19" square tube of aluminum, with sandpaper attached, to do the final sanding of the neck width, bringing it to the fretboard. It keeps the edge straight. It's the same tube that I use with the shooting board to join tops and backs.

[ruby@magpage.com]

Nothing much to add, but re-stating Diane's use of files. I use a spokeshave and a rasp for rough shaping, then a course cabinet file for smoothing these marks out, then a fine file for getting it ready for sandpaper. Each of these files/rasps has flat side and a curved side. The longer the file/rasp, the easier it is to handle. You may only need a file because you are not removing much material.

Also, I might start by making the neck the right thickness at the 1st and 9th freets, (work slowly and leave a very little amount extra for sanding), then connect those two points, then draw a pencil line down the center, then remove material at the 1st and 9th frets to match your templates and don't ever remove the pencil line as you shape the center of the neck. Then work north and south from that line - heel and head.

Maybe take a piece of clear 2X4 and make a quick mockup and practice on it?

Here is a pretty standard holder for the neck - search the internet and you will see 100 variations of this. Mine is this way because I found a piece of 1-3/4" laminated beam at a house construction site. Easy to make one out of q scrap of 2X10 or 2X12 - the head does not have to be adjustable if you always use the same angle - I use 15°:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/ ... 458169080/

Look a few shots later (scroll right) for a visual on my above description. Let us know how it goes.

Ed

[tippie53]

the key is to find what works for you. I basically use my floor belt sander and files to finish up the sharp inside corners of a valoute As for tools the best tools investments cheap tools are costs so buy the best you can afford. Look at what you need to do and find what is best.
I still use a lot of sanding sticks. Simply put you make a stick and put PSA ( pressure sensitive adhesive ) back sand paper on it. I can use different grits for aggressive removal to finishing.

so as you can see it is about technique and how you apply that. I love to see differing ways to do things , you never know when that information can be helpful.

[MaineGeezer]

I have a neck fixture similar in concept to the one ruby shows in the photo that I clamp in my vise. I lay out the neck blank to locate where the fingerboard goes and glue on the finished 6fingerboard. Note that this implies installation of the truss rod as well. Then I clamp it onthe fixture and start bringing it to final shape, generally statprting with a draw knife. I blend the sides of the neck into the sides of the fingerboard. I measure the thickness at the 1st and 9th frets and make sure there is a uniform slight increase in thickness between them that continues to the heel. I tend to leave too much wood on the neck, so I try hard to not do that.
I have tried using tmplates, but generally end up being guided by guess and intuition.

[Diane Kauffmds]

I have a neck fixture similar in concept to the one ruby shows in the photo that I clamp in my vise. I lay out the neck blank to locate where the fingerboard goes and glue on the finished 6fingerboard. Note that this implies installation of the truss rod as well. Then I clamp it onthe fixture and start bringing it to final shape, generally statprting with a draw knife. I blend the sides of the neck into the sides of the fingerboard. I measure the thickness at the 1st and 9th frets and make sure there is a uniform slight increase in thickness between them that continues to the heel. I tend to leave too much wood on the neck, so I try hard to not do that.
I have tried using tmplates, but generally end up being guided by guess and intuition.

I do pretty much what Mainegeezer said, except I have a spokeshave for the general shaping and the carving files for the heel. I also agree on neck profile templates. I use a template for the headstock and a template for the heel cap, everything else is done by feel and measuring with a caliper at specific places.