Roughing out the back of a neck by hand?

[anonymous278347457]

I don't have a bandsaw, and I need to take a 45mm thick piece of Maple down to around 30m for area where your hand would go when you are playing. Anyone got any ideas?

I was thinking of sawing along that area in something like 5mm intervals and then knocking the bits in between out with a chisel. It would be rough, but it would be faster than scraping it to death with a spokeshave I guess. I could at do that until I've got about 10 cm down, when I can then use a saw to saw straight down the rest of the way. And then just I would be able to leave 10mm extra for shaping and room for error.

[Al Heeley]

Take a coarse sanding disk on a drill to it (like I said on PG forum..) It can be a really powerful and subtle tool in the right hands.

[Jazzdogg]

I do that kind of shaping all the time with a Nicholson #49 or #50 patternmaker's rasp; it goes a lot quicker than you might think!

[Lizooki]

A big open hole blade wood rasp works very quickly.


Matt

[Nelson Guitars]

Spoke shave, rasp, file, scraper, sand paper if needed.

Goes quick and is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

Sawing and chiseling runs a risk of damage if you aren't lucky.

Grinders and disc sanders are hard on the ears and lungs.

Nothing like standing in a pile of fresh wood shavings you just made.

Greg N

[Arx]

I like surforms. Really agressive cutting, so you can tear through the wood pretty fast with some muscle power, and it mostly cuts shavings instead of dust. Much more pleasant to deal with.

[Nelson Guitars]

Originally Posted by Nelson Guitars

Nothing like standing in a pile of fresh wood shavings you just made.

Oh, and the difference between frustration and satisfaction here is well sharpened and set up tools. Dull tools make easy tasks hard. The time spent honing a proper edge will pay off in spades.

Greg N

[Jools4001]

Originally Posted by Nelson Guitars

The time spent honing a proper edge will pay off in spades.

If you really need a sharp spade

[Gone]

Surforms work well for me!

Originally Posted by Nelson Guitars

Nothing like standing in a pile of fresh wood shavings you just made.
Greg N

++

[Bryan316]

Microplanes do this work very quickly.

Order up the replacable blade set, and make sure to get a coarse and fine blade in the kit. Use the coarse to rip it up, and the fine once you get close to your final measurement.

And get a really good straight edge.

[eleonn]

Originally Posted by Nelson Guitars

Nothing like standing in a pile of fresh wood shavings you just made.

Greg N

This sounds like a nice signature!!

[anonymous278347457]

Well I've decided to rough out the neck after I've attached the fretboard.

Still, every time I look at the neck blank, my arm starts hurting.

[Bryan316]

Your arms should only hurt if you have dull crappy tools.

Go buy a new microplane, and it'll be a cakewalk.

[eleonn]

It won't be that hard. I did it with a rasp and sandpaper and started with a piece close as yours. A good thing I did was to make a 45° cut at the edges of neck to take off chunks of no needed wood (Wilsers tip).

[anonymous278347457]

Originally Posted by Bryan316

Your arms should only hurt if you have dull crappy tools.

Go buy a new microplane, and it'll be a cakewalk.

I've sharpened my plane and spokeshave. The main reason my arms hurt is because I sawed the all of the headstock area by hand as well as tapering an ebony fretboard completely by hand also.