Hi all,
I'm getting ready to start my first build & am finding out what tools I need to acquire before I start.
I've read various articles and tutorials recommending surform or spokeshave tools for shaping the neck profile - which would you recommend?
Cheers :)
Anna
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I forgot to mention one of my favorite tools - the cabinet scraper. It quickly cleans up rasp marks and it's pretty inexpensive. Old timers would use a piece of broken glass as a scraper to get a nice smooth finish.
** it is not really an either/or position, these are fundamentally different tools.
a surform (or rasp, woodfile) is great for roughing out shapes quickly, they chew wood up. They're really handy for rough shaping a neck, especiallly say the heel and where the head meets the neck.
A spokeshave is a kind of plane, usually with a curved blade rather than a flat one. It shaves wood away in thin slices. It is a finishing tool, when you know how to use it the work will not need any sanding or anything afterwards and sanding may in fact take you backwards..
They're both great tools and really handy to make a guitar neck, although it is possibly to make one without either.
RTZGUITARS > The Phrygian KidMarch 28, 2015 at 2:00pm
oh I meant to post this! round on one side flat on other rasp and file. As I said I looked for a bgigger one but have not seen one . Then can a cut clean 90's and shape a inside and outside radius. Almost as cool as hot chicks who love beer.
The Shinto rasp works great. There is none finer. The only drawback is that there is not a curved version.
Don't underestimate kitchenwares as woodworking tools. My Kiwi brand vegetable peeler works as good as any spokeshave. The fine cheese graters I got from Aldi do a great job on lighter woods like pine.
I also like to just whittle with a sharp knife.
TN Twang > Titch the ClownMarch 28, 2015 at 9:49am
Great idea! I've already thought of several uses for the peeler: cleaning up fret glue, fine-tuning F holes, etc.
Wife'll never miss it--although she's still mad about how I got glue in her toothbrush.
Go to your local DIY woodworker supply house, and get a 4-in-1 rasp. Buy a cheap one, and then buy a quality one. The whole outlay shouldn't run you more than £25. The cheap one will work until it doesn't, and the quality one can be passed down a generation or two. Or, buy 3 cheap ones for the price of one quality one.
I'm quite surprised how few people are saying they use a spokeshave. Mine's a cheap and cheerful Silverline 250mm flat one and it's been brilliant right from the get go. I've not used a curved spokeshave, but I might pick one up sometime
Replies
I forgot to mention one of my favorite tools - the cabinet scraper. It quickly cleans up rasp marks and it's pretty inexpensive. Old timers would use a piece of broken glass as a scraper to get a nice smooth finish.
** it is not really an either/or position, these are fundamentally different tools.
a surform (or rasp, woodfile) is great for roughing out shapes quickly, they chew wood up. They're really handy for rough shaping a neck, especiallly say the heel and where the head meets the neck.
A spokeshave is a kind of plane, usually with a curved blade rather than a flat one. It shaves wood away in thin slices. It is a finishing tool, when you know how to use it the work will not need any sanding or anything afterwards and sanding may in fact take you backwards..
They're both great tools and really handy to make a guitar neck, although it is possibly to make one without either.
oh I meant to post this! round on one side flat on other rasp and file. As I said I looked for a bgigger one but have not seen one . Then can a cut clean 90's and shape a inside and outside radius. Almost as cool as hot chicks who love beer.
The Shinto rasp works great. There is none finer. The only drawback is that there is not a curved version.
Don't underestimate kitchenwares as woodworking tools. My Kiwi brand vegetable peeler works as good as any spokeshave. The fine cheese graters I got from Aldi do a great job on lighter woods like pine.
I also like to just whittle with a sharp knife.
Great idea! I've already thought of several uses for the peeler: cleaning up fret glue, fine-tuning F holes, etc.
Wife'll never miss it--although she's still mad about how I got glue in her toothbrush.
Can't get a Dragon in the UK, would have to get it imported. Shinto has good reviews and readily available here (plus it's Japanese & I like samurai swords!): http://www.japanesetools.com.au/products/shinto-saw-rasp
Any thoughts?
And the cheap ones can be sharpened.
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-taper-a-cigar-b...
I have a cheap Stanley spokeshave. After a little cleaning and sharpening, it makes quick work of a neck.... Half the time I don't need a rasp...
I'm quite surprised how few people are saying they use a spokeshave. Mine's a cheap and cheerful Silverline 250mm flat one and it's been brilliant right from the get go. I've not used a curved spokeshave, but I might pick one up sometime
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