Best Tools for Neck Carving

[Gilmourisgod]

Due to my inherent Cheapskatery, I've been making do with a set of cheap Harbor Freight rasps. They do the job, but clog easily, and leave a rough finish that takes a while to sand out. Other than the Usual Suspects, like a Shinto rasp (tried one, not hugely impressed), what are you all using? Ive tried some of the micro-plane rasps with limited success, but that may be down to technique. I think my ideal would be something short, half round for flats or curves, fairly aggressive, but cuts rather than gouges like a rasp, and leaves a finish that doesnt take hours to sand out. Maybe it doesnt exist. Suggestions??

 

[rudy4444]

I have also tried many of those tools that the supply houses like to tell you are the answer to all your neck carving woes. It took me quite a few years to find the easy way to do it, IMHO of course.

Probably the best value priced rasps are the Sculpture House imported Italian 8" and 10" wood shaping rasps from Dick Blick. I have two and they work well. They also have a 12" course rasp if you need to work even faster.

My favorites are my Nicholson #49 and #50 rasps.

Some of the more intricate areas such as neck volutes and heels are taken care of with a electric drill fitted with a 80 grit 2" sanding drum. Not usually necessary for bass necks, but I do other types of instruments as well.

Any rasp is going to leave you with sanding duties. I take all the work out of the process by using a 5" random orbit fitted with 220 hook and loop pads and controlled with a momentary foot switch. I show it being used in my build topics. No need to use anything else and it's fast, accurate, and easy to control.

 

[arbiterusa]

Spokeshave. We used those at SCGC along with rasps, but the shaves did the heavy lifting. Tricky tool, needs practice.

 

[Huw Phillips]

Very interested in this topical thread with this coming today, I have found the same as you a spoke shave sounds good and I don’t have one

 

[Jeff Siddall]

Flap sander on an angle grinder. Has become my go-to tool for removing large hunks of wood ever since watching the Crimson Guitars guy go to town with one.

 

[Beej]

Yep I use a flap sander on angle grinder too. I used to have an excalibur? or king arthur or something? But I lost it. After the flap sander I use a short block with 80 grit along the neck to smooth out the big bumps and keep it straight, then big round bastard file to do final shaping, a fine half round file to smooth that off, then 180 and 220 before grain raising and finish prep.

 

[Rick Brienzo]

I use the Stewmac Dragon rasps. They are expensive but well worth it for me. Every time I use them I am amazed at how easy they do the work.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

I use the Stewmac Dragon rasps. They are expensive but well worth it for me. Every time I use them I am amazed at how easy they do the work.

This reminded me that I should add something for people who have not used a flap sander before: when using a flap sander you need to think in reverse from a hand tool. It's not about how hard you push on the tool but how hard you hold it back. It takes off an amazing amount of material in an amazingly short amount of time.

Also worth noting: it will take off the end of your finger faster than a piece of wood

 

[Rick Brienzo]

Also worth noting: it will take off the end of your finger faster than a piece of wood

I will just continue using elbow grease.

 

[RichterScale]

I picked up a Shinto with the plane style handle. For something like a neck, the handle had to come off. So, it was uncomfortable to hold.
When I first started using it, I also thought it wasn't that great. Now that I've spent some time with it and have a better feel for how it likes to work, I'm really starting to like it.
It's still uncomfortable in the hand, so I'd say that's it's biggest downfall.
I may try to make some type of holding fixture for it. I think having it feel comfortable in the hand is a huge factor in being able to use it more efficiently.

 

[dwizum]

I rough carve with a saburrtooth donut wheel:

Saburrtooth - 4" Donut Wheel W/ Holes Round Face (Fine Grit) 5/8" Bore

They're cheaper on Amazon and other online retailers. I get the carve to within probably 1/16" - 1/18" with that thing in an angle grinder, and then I smooth and refine the carve with Iwasaki carving rasps:

Highland Woodworking Tools

I have the set of two 6" fine cut as my main carving tools. Fine cut still cuts fairly fast but it leaves an incredibly silky smooth surface once you get the technique down. I use the flat rasp on the neck and the curved rasp on the volute, heel, etc.

The Iwasaki rasps were a revelation for me, a real game changer. They're very pleasant to use. Not much force required and they're hard to do wrong with (unlike some rasps that will dig in or tear if you don't have the technique right).

The rasps are probably among my most used hand tools. They're great for all kinds of uses. Truing up joinery, bringing an mdf template right up to the pencil line, etc.

 

[RichterScale]

Those curved carving files look interesting.

 

[Thumpin6string]

For major wood removal, I use a 4" autobody air grinder with a 24 grit disk. Then an air sander with 80 grit to shape. After that a sanding block with multiple grits form coarse to ultra fine.

 

[mapleglo]

My neck shaping tools of choice:

The cylinder on the right is actually from my drum sander. I stick a threaded rod through it, tighten it down, throw a handle on the far end, and chuck it in a drill. I had one made from wood, but can't seem to find it at the moment.

 

[Videojunkie]

For hand tools I use a draw knife, spoke shave, rasps, small block plane, and sanding blocks.

Power tools I use a oscillating spindle sander, bandfile sander, and a random orbital.

 

[Bloomfield]

Very interested in this topical thread with this coming today, I have found the same as you a spoke shave sounds good and I don’t have one

View attachment 4516018

That's a really nice neck blank, but likely not a great place for a spokeshave. All that curly figure translates to reversing grain at the surface, so any sort of edged tools will tend to tear out as the grain direction changes. A really sharp spokeshave with a tight mouth might work for fine-tuning the shape, but sawing facets and then blending with rasps would probably work better.

 

[Bloomfield]

Spokeshave. We used those at SCGC along with rasps, but the shaves did the heavy lifting. Tricky tool, needs practice.

I've got a few spokeshaves but none of them has ever really done it for me. What I do find extremely useful is a fairly large (about 9" blade) drawknife with a slight curve to it. It's a bit scary at first as there is nothing to limit the depth of cut as with a spokeshave, but if it is ground a bit round on the back you can easily control the depth of cut by changing the angle of the handles, so it works for everything from large roughing cuts to just skimming off high spots. It also fits into tighter areas like the transition from the heel into the neckshaft, so it's quite versatile. I'd like to get a bit smaller one too for around the headstock end and places like that.

 

[Fender_Bender]

For quick stock removal, and to minimize dust in the air, I hog off the bulk with a small hatchet. If you know how to read the grain and chop with a “scooping motion” you can quickly get the bulk of the waste off.

 

[Flying B]

Very interested in this topical thread with this coming today, I have found the same as you a spoke shave sounds good and I don’t have one

View attachment 4516018

I definitely would not go near that figured wood with a spoke shave, that will end in tears!

I really like my shinto rasp, and also have one of these which leaves a pretty smooth finish.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I have used a belt sander or a flat flexible disc sander for stuff like elbow relief or belly cutouts, but as described, the super fast wood removal takes a delicate touch. Ive been paring my necks down to leave a bare minimum 1/8" under the trussrod, so a slip with a power tool could be neck-fatal. I've looked at the Dragon rasp, the $75-100 price put me off a bit, the Highland Tools Iwaska files sound good by description, and the price looks reasonable. At the moment, I think I could do everything I need with a half round/flat and a full round rod type file.