Posted by Jason Nelms on March 17, 2010 at 10:34am
I am curious. How do you guys get the back of the neck rounded? I am at a complete loss when it comes to woodworking or anything non-computer related really. =)
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Wow. I thought it would have been a special tool or machine that they got run thru. Like a shaper or something.
A router would do a nice job on this. Take a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ubNo3pS0g I suppose a 3/4 inch roundover router bit would work on my project, but you have to be VERY careful with routers not to split or chip the end. And they start at about $40, too. The other tools I already have. But this is overkill. The router would be fine if you were doing a stack of necks, but I could have one neck shaped up by the time Brunner got his router set up. Here's a YouTube low-tech video on shaping a neck for an electric guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMnyTH2FRWQ I agree with Rushmore -- this is a job that can be done better by hand tools.
Is that the 45 degree angle drawn there or am I missing the 22.5 degree angle on the page?
Alan Roberts said:
Yes, that just shows the 45 degree angle. The drawing is 1:1, and the little bits removed by a 22.5 degree angle would be too small to see.
Most of the people here seem to be in the "round as you go" school, while I now would rather cut a few long flat facets first. I get more consistant results that way. The first string instrument I made as an Anglo-Saxon lyre (see my photos on my page), and the necks on it weren't consistant in cross-section. No big deal, you don't run your hand up and down the necks of a lyre, but it felt like running your hand up and down a polished branch -- swelled here, narrowed suddenly there... Witchita Sam can probably get a wonderfully consistant cross-section right off, but I can't.
My father was a civil engineer and I took a lot of drafting classes in high school, so you'll have to forgive me. I might do a video.
Short answer? Just keep removing wood with a rasp, plane, chisel, spokeshave or draw knife until the shape feels nice. Then finish off with finer and finer grades of sand paper.
P.S. The scanner worked fine until last week when Chuck, the I.T. guy from the law office next door, made some changes to the router. Now the sock-sucking scanner fails about half the time. We're going to get Chuck to get back in here and fix whatever he busted.
Wow, just grab a surform, cheesegrater like rasp mentioned above, shape away till you like what it feels like. Then get out the sandpaper, I use an electric finish sander for the first few passes, but you can just do it by hand, its a good fore arm workout. No need for math or complex drawings. You could if needed make a Cigar Box Guitar with no power tools at all.
ahhh. let me guess.... R U an engineer? I'm not .... maybe a vid showing what you are saying and how it works in real life.... thanks.... (now my brain hurts... I need a nap)
the best,
Sam
Alan Roberts said:
My CBG neck has the same width from nut to box, which makes things easier. 1) draw out the cross section of the neck on paper. On mine, it was a 3/4 x 1 1/2 rectangle. 2) decide what kind of shape you want, "D" shaped, triangular... I took a simple "D" shape with a 3/4 diameter curve. That's about the came curve as you get on a stack of pennies. 3) using a compass or circle template, draw the curve ("arc," to be technical) you want on the paper. 4) with the proper triangle, draw a 45 degree angled line that just TOUCHES this curve (this is called a "chord"). That little triangle you drew between the curve and the corners of the neck are the amounts of wood you'll remove on your first pass. 5) measure on your drawing and mark on the neck how much wood needs to be removed. On my neck, I removed 3/16 of the way back from the top and sides (neck is 3/4" thick, so bottom half of that is 3/8" and we remove half of THAT fro 3/16"). Draw parallel lines down neck, on top and on side. 6) using weapon of choice (plane, chisle, rasp) keep removing wood from corner until the lines you've drawn are gone. DON'T try to round yet, just cut a nice flat 45 degree facet. Instead of having a 4-sided neck, you now have a 6-sided one, with 45 degree corners on the bottom. 7) going back to your paper drawing, draw 22.5 degree angles to take the corners off your new shape. Mark lines again along the side and new facet. Repeat for top and new facet. These are the parts removed on your second pass. 8) remove wood off the 45 degree corners. You now have a 10-sided shape, with a bottom that looks almost round. 9) if I were counding a large object (like a drum), I'd keep repeating the last few steps curring new and smaller facets of the corner of the old facets. On something small like a guitar neck, you should be close enough to finish with course sand paper.
I'm trying to scan the @#$%! drawings I did and attach them but the freaking scanner is on the war path. Tell you what, if you can get my wireless office back up and running, I'll teach you some cool woodworking classes. Deal?
LOL - What is happening with your wireless office(describe your setup - what is on wireless, what router do you use, what service provider, etc)? I actually may be able to help there.
Alan Roberts said:
My CBG neck has the same width from nut to box, which makes things easier. 1) draw out the cross section of the neck on paper. On mine, it was a 3/4 x 1 1/2 rectangle. 2) decide what kind of shape you want, "D" shaped, triangular... I took a simple "D" shape with a 3/4 diameter curve.
3) using a compass or circle template, draw the curve ("arc," to be technical) you want on the paper.
4) with the proper triangle, draw a 45 degree angled line that just TOUCHES this curve (this is called a "chord"). That little triangle you drew between the curve and the corners of the neck is the amount of wood you'll remove on your furst pass.
5) measure on your drawing and mark on the neck how much wood needs to be removed. On my neck, I removed 3/16 of the way back from the top and sides (neck is 3/4" thick, so bottom half of that is 3/8" and we remove half of THAT fro 3/16"). Draw parallel lines down neck, on top and on side.
6) using weapon of choice (plane, chisle, rasp) keep removing wood from corner until the lines you've drawn are gone. DON'T try to round yet, just cut a nice flat 45 degree facet. Instead of having a 4-sided neck, you now have a 6-sided one, with 45 degree corners on the bottom.
7) going back to your paper drawing, draw 22.5 degree angles to take the corners off your new shape. Mark lines again along the side and new facet. Repeat for top and new facet.
8) remove wood off the 45 degree corners. You now have a 10-sided shape, with a bottom that looks almost round.
9) if I were counding a large object (like a drum), I'd keep repeating the last few steps curring new and smaller facets of the corner of the old facets. On something small like a guitar neck, you should be close enough to finish with course sand paper.
I'm trying to scan the @#$%! drawings I did and attach them but the freaking scanner is on the war path. Tell you what, if you can get my wireless office back up and running, I'll teach you some cool woodworking classes. Deal?
My CBG neck has the same width from nut to box, which makes things easier.
1) draw out the cross section of the neck on paper. On mine, it was a 3/4 x 1 1/2 rectangle.
2) decide what kind of shape you want, "D" shaped, triangular... I took a simple "D" shape with a 3/4 diameter curve. That's about the came curve as you get on a stack of pennies.
3) using a compass or circle template, draw the curve ("arc," to be technical) you want on the paper.
4) with the proper triangle, draw a 45 degree angled line that just TOUCHES this curve (this is called a "chord"). That little triangle you drew between the curve and the corners of the neck are the amounts of wood you'll remove on your first pass.
5) measure on your drawing and mark on the neck how much wood needs to be removed. On my neck, I removed 3/16 of the way back from the top and sides (neck is 3/4" thick, so bottom half of that is 3/8" and we remove half of THAT for 3/16"). Draw parallel lines down neck, on top and on side.
6) using weapon of choice (plane, chisle, rasp) keep removing wood from corner until the lines you've drawn are gone. DON'T try to round yet, just cut a nice flat 45 degree facet. Instead of having a 4-sided neck, you now have a 6-sided one, with 45 degree corners on the bottom.
7) going back to your paper drawing, draw 22.5 degree angles to take the corners off your new shape. Mark lines again along the side and new facet. Repeat for top and new facet. These are the parts removed on your second pass.
8) remove wood off the 45 degree corners. You now have a 10-sided shape, with a bottom that looks almost round.
9) if I were counding a large object (like a drum), I'd keep repeating the last few steps curring new and smaller facets of the corner of the old facets. On something small like a guitar neck, you should be close enough to finish with course sand paper.
I'm trying to scan the @#$%! drawings I did and attach them but the freaking scanner is on the war path. Tell you what, if you can get my wireless office back up and running, I'll teach you some cool woodworking classes. Deal?
Just did a workshop yesterday with 10 kids making some dulci-bow (one string fretted dulci strummers) and all they had to work with was some rasps, files and sand paper and they make some nicely profiled necks.....
If they can (average age 10) then a 30 something of any background can... give it a try...
the best,
Wichita Sam
Logan Fenn said:
I thought there was no way I could shape a neck without my router and router table. I read on CBN about those cheese grater style wood rasps and it became much easier than I thought, even on Poplar.
I also got back in touch with a mallet and wood chisel to scoop out wood on the headstock and the recessed area for the boxlid. Then sandpaper treatment as Arjen described.
I have used rasps and spokeshaves. I would highly recommend getting a spokeshave, they are fairly cheap and such fun to use, plus you get a pile of cool wood shavings.
Replies
Alan Roberts said:
the best,
Sam
Alan Roberts said:
Alan Roberts said:
1) draw out the cross section of the neck on paper. On mine, it was a 3/4 x 1 1/2 rectangle.
2) decide what kind of shape you want, "D" shaped, triangular... I took a simple "D" shape with a 3/4 diameter curve. That's about the came curve as you get on a stack of pennies.
3) using a compass or circle template, draw the curve ("arc," to be technical) you want on the paper.
4) with the proper triangle, draw a 45 degree angled line that just TOUCHES this curve (this is called a "chord"). That little triangle you drew between the curve and the corners of the neck are the amounts of wood you'll remove on your first pass.
5) measure on your drawing and mark on the neck how much wood needs to be removed. On my neck, I removed 3/16 of the way back from the top and sides (neck is 3/4" thick, so bottom half of that is 3/8" and we remove half of THAT for 3/16"). Draw parallel lines down neck, on top and on side.
6) using weapon of choice (plane, chisle, rasp) keep removing wood from corner until the lines you've drawn are gone. DON'T try to round yet, just cut a nice flat 45 degree facet. Instead of having a 4-sided neck, you now have a 6-sided one, with 45 degree corners on the bottom.
7) going back to your paper drawing, draw 22.5 degree angles to take the corners off your new shape. Mark lines again along the side and new facet. Repeat for top and new facet. These are the parts removed on your second pass.
8) remove wood off the 45 degree corners. You now have a 10-sided shape, with a bottom that looks almost round.
9) if I were counding a large object (like a drum), I'd keep repeating the last few steps curring new and smaller facets of the corner of the old facets. On something small like a guitar neck, you should be close enough to finish with course sand paper.
I'm trying to scan the @#$%! drawings I did and attach them but the freaking scanner is on the war path. Tell you what, if you can get my wireless office back up and running, I'll teach you some cool woodworking classes. Deal?
If they can (average age 10) then a 30 something of any background can... give it a try...
the best,
Wichita Sam
Logan Fenn said:
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