Greetings Again Nation......
Another question for those who dabble with scarf joints for the headstock/neck: I don't use power tools exept my dremmel and drill so all my cuts are by hand. But my scarf joint cuts are uneven and require a lot of extra work to make them look decent. Any suggestions on the best type of hand saw to get a straighter/cleaner cut? I've tried a coping saw, laminate saw, a Stanley "Fine Finish" hand saw, and even a hack saw. The only thing left to try that I can see would be one of those Japanese style double-edged saws, or possibly a box saw (which look a lot like the aforementioned Stanley saw). A miter box doesn't give me the angle I need/want for the cuts (looking at 12-15 degree angles). Any thoughts? Unfortunately I don't have access to a table/band/scroll saw- otherwise I'd make my cuts and call it a day!
Any and all comments welcome and appreciated!
Replies
If anybody is interested in the Balalaika set of plans that Rand Moore mentioned in his post dated January 31, I have posted the link below.
http://www.luth.org/downloads/Flynn-Balalaika-GAL.pdf
Tom
don,try this method of making a tipped headstock, you glue the finished edges instead of sawn edges
IMG.pdf
Well, that makes sense- and I feel rather silly. I will dfinately try that on my next build........ although I do have to admit that I invested in a band saw, which should also help.
wow well aint this the thread that just wont go away..
ok so ppl got other suggestions, but i thort id tell you this cos noone else did, to make a successful scarf join its essential that your neck is nice and square to begin with, this is far more important even that a nice clean cut..
Hi Donny Bell
My names Leo and i know its a little bit two late to answer this messege but i always cut my scarf joints by hand using a normal irwin jack saw. At first my joints where uneven untill i made a simple jig it only taken an hour and has saven me from hours of stress.
Leo
Leo, it's never to late! I am always looking for ways to improve my process. I bought a Stanley "Fatmax" hand saw that seems to do really well on the 1 1/2" wide pieces for the neck but not so good on the 3" pieces I cut for the headstock. Do you have any pictures of the jig you made?
I've done a couple of scarf joints, most recently on my "Resolution" build, the neck was made from laminated strips of hardwood and the neck American Oak, i used a hacksaw to start off the angled cut and completed it with a full size hand saw, a little smoothing was needed but not much. (-:
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I agree with John on the deeper saw being a 'tenon saw'.
The narrower saws are called 'back saws' I believe. That's what my dad called then and it's good enough for me.
Hogs.
You guys are probably right about the saw names. I've been messing around with wood working for less than 2 years, so what do I know? Or maybe Yanks call them differently, has happened before.
-Rand.
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