I'm getting things in line for my first CBG...I'm looking for good spots to glean some scrap wood, but what thickness is good to work with. I've seen alot on ebay thats 3/4 or 7/8 inch, but is that too thin by itself? So what is too thick, too thin, and what range is just right?...also, consider thickness if not using a separate fretboard compared to added size if you did.

Thanks for the help...this site rocks. I'll keep ya posted on my progress.

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I use 3/4 inch poplar,maple,or oak. i have done one with 7/8 pao ferro. you can get awya with 3/4 if you dont take more than a 1/4" out(inside the box) and u use something strong. if you are worried about it add a piece underneath.(wood or metal) I just see how strong it is by bending it with my hands. If I were building a heavy gauged string guitar. or a 4 strng or above i would definately strengthen with something under the routing. Good luck with your first build. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I wish I had some more help my first time around. See ya round. And I'm looking forward to #1 cbg
I want to start off with a 4 stringer...and I'm looking to kinda hang around with red oak, hard maple and black walnut. Its my understanding that those are strong, stiff woods (walnut being the weaker). You can get a load of 3/4 stuff off ebay for what ends up being about $3/ board.

I'll go ahead with my plan and see where it takes me...if nothing else, I'll double them up before I shape them and/ or make some 3 stringers or a couple ukes.

thanks
I usually use standard 1X2 lumber; oak is easily the stiffest from the big-box hardware stores. I glue on a piece of 1/4x2" oak or maple for the fingerboard. Have not experienced any warping whatever up to four strings.

Oak is perhaps not ideal; it's grainy and the soft parts of the grain tend to "eat in" as you're forming the neck.
Wait...oak is not ideal? you just got done saying you use oak, and it was easily the stiffest. Did you mean walnut when you talked about the soft parts eating in? Just clarifying here.

Mark Werner said:
I usually use standard 1X2 lumber; oak is easily the stiffest from the big-box hardware stores. I glue on a piece of 1/4x2" oak or maple for the fingerboard. Have not experienced any warping whatever up to four strings.

Oak is perhaps not ideal; it's grainy and the soft parts of the grain tend to "eat in" as you're forming the neck.
If you want to pick through a lot of lumber, Ideally you'd want to find a piece that's entirely "quarter sawn", that is, the grain will be at right angles to the way the strings lay.
Hard to find such nice chunks, though, unless you're in a position to rip 'em yourself. As Tinyguitars says, usually you get a piece with some of the grain more exposed, and the softer rings can be a problem. Had a bit of this with the neck I'm working on right now; used a sanding block to get the high parts level.

On my mandola, I built up a neck blank by gluing two 1" Maple boards with a 1/4" oak piece in between. Made for a very stiff piece of lumber...Hasn't shown any warping with all those eight strings.
alright, that's some really good help, and I appreciate it. Now ...1) what does red oak look like finished?
How good is black walnut because I really like the look it?

my plans really coming together muaahaahaahaaa
Spencer, I like the 1x2 (which is actually 3/4" x 1.5") red oak as well and you can get it cheap from lowes or home dumpo. On my last 4 stringer I laminated a 1/4 piece of poplar (get that at lowes / home dumpo as well) AND another 1/4" piece of red oak for the fretboard. This way I could taper the neck from 1.25" at the base to 3/4" or so at the nut. The poplar went up through the headstock for a two-toned look. What is nice about this approach is that if you do a bolt on style neck, you can use the same 1x2 stock for bracing inside the box, and the two 1/4" pieces give just enough clearance over the top of the box.

spencer said:
alright, that's some really good help, and I appreciate it. Now ...1) what does red oak look like finished?

How good is black walnut because I really like the look it? my plans really coming together muaahaahaahaaa
this says "cabinet" wood, but looks good to me...is this acceptable, or is this something to avoid?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360121555822...
Looks like a bunch of potential guitar necks to me...
awesome...thats what I needed to be confirmed. that seems to me to be a good deal if each board runs me about $3, although I know scrap is cheaper which leads me to my next point.

It was after church today that I went out to the dump and found an old chair that I thought would make some good scrap neck, but then I thought, "dang it, I dont have a saw!" Then BEHOLD I looked and thar she blowed...a frigen saw sitting in the snow next to it like some kind of Christmas miracle. Its a sign from God hahaaaa...I cut that chair UP babee!
I'll keep an eye out, we get a couple pallets at work every week, but it has so far just seemed like run of the mill wood. I probably will gank some of it for braces and/or practice wood since I know I am likely to screw something up sometime.

At some time I'd like to get 2x4 or larger and make a one piece neck but I am way ahead of myself.

Gene said:
i was given a hint bout free wood when i got started by Big Daddy and it is that a lot of pallets have oak mahogany and other hard woods and u can get them free most of the time use the pieces on the under sides (the braces)
Working here at "Wash U" as I do, I find a lot of scrap around here from the constant construction and renovation projects. Big commercial dumpsters have furnished me with all sorts of stuff, from the 1/8" hardwood plywood I used for my banjo top to bits and pieces of moulding which make good reinforcing "kerfs" to scraps of hardwood furniture and cabinetry material.
I'm working on a resonator guitar now, and the neck is a piece of solid oak I found on the art department's scrap heap.
Already nicely tapered and just the right size....

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