Recovering from a mistake

[smart51]

I've been making a new bass. The plan was for a short scale 5 string with a laminate through neck. Yesterday was cut up the blank day. I marked it out on the top, routed it while it was still square, then cut the taper in both sides. It was only when I was planed the sides that I realised what I did. I drew the line from the bottom of the neck to the B string line not to the side of the nut line. So my neck blanks is ~4mm to narrow on the B string side. It is fine on the other side.

Being multi laminate, there's no chance of moving the centre line. The wood on the outer stripes is Yew. It just doesn't come in long quarter sawn pieces very often at all, so making another is not an option.

So, I have basically 2 choices. Cut the other side to match and make it a 4 string. Or glue a bit back on and ignore the join line. The join will only be on the back as it will be covered with the fretboard on the front. But it will taper to nothing at the heel.

What would you do?

 

[smart51]

Everyone loves a photo

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Make it a 4 string and live to fight another day.

 

[boxerrider]

Do you have enough yew to do the same thing on both sides?

 

[bholder]

Q: What was the last song Sonny Bono sang?
A: I've Got Yew, Babe

 

[smart51]

Do you have enough yew to do the same thing on both sides?

Just about. I have a 30mm piece with the pith through it.

 

[dwizum]

What I would do if I were yew would be this: cut the short side back another few mm, and then cut the good side to match the short side. Then laminate on another stripe of a different, contrasting wood - or at least a veneer that contrasts and then another stripe of yew. Then you'd end up with a cool taper effect where the taper is in the two pieces of yew and the outermost strip of wood follows the edge of the fretboard.

 

[TFM94]

I support @dwizum 's idea. Laminate another wood layer (for example 5-6mm) on each side to make a tapered multilaminate. I'd use either a contrasting wood, maybe even the same as the fretboard if available. This way you have a uniqe design and nobody will ever know that this used to be a mistake

 

[smart51]

What I would do if I were yew would be this: cut the short side back another few mm, and then cut the good side to match the short side. Then laminate on another stripe of a different, contrasting wood - or at least a veneer that contrasts and then another stripe of yew. Then you'd end up with a cool taper effect where the taper is in the two pieces of yew and the outermost strip of wood follows the edge of the fretboard.

This is the reason I come to this place. Good ideas.

I'd use either a contrasting wood, maybe even the same as the fretboard if available.

I like that idea. I have lots of the Laburnum I'm going to use for the fretboard. I don't think I've got any long enough though. I probably have some black walnut that would do the job. I have a long length of the Yew sapwood too. And I have enough of the thick Ash veneer to do it, though not enough of the dyed black veneer.

This way you have a unique design and nobody will ever know that this used to be a mistake

yup!

 

[boxerrider]

What I would do if I were yew would be this: cut the short side back another few mm, and then cut the good side to match the short side. Then laminate on another stripe of a different, contrasting wood - or at least a veneer that contrasts and then another stripe of yew. Then you'd end up with a cool taper effect where the taper is in the two pieces of yew and the outermost strip of wood follows the edge of the fretboard.

Exactly!
If you decide you don't like the tapered look, then you can rip both sides parallel and laminate on strips to get the full width. I don't have neck building experience of others here, but I would be afraid that having an extra lamination on one side would make the neck prone to twisting.

 

[TrevorR]

Leave the widths as they are, make it a 4 string neck but instead of evening the sides up, experiment with an asymmetric neck profile… I understand they’re all the rage!

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Luthiery = The Art of Fixing Mistakes

 

[Thumpin6string]

My thought would be to rip it down the center and put a strip of contrasting wood to get your width back. Then you can re-cut the sides so they are even. My 2 cents.

 

[lark_z]

Give it a few days, don't rush a decision. The solution will come to 'yew' in the meantime.

 

[smart51]

My thought would be to rip it down the center and put a strip of contrasting wood to get your width back. Then you can re-cut the sides so they are even. My 2 cents.

Had I not already cut the truss rod slot, this would have been the simplest way out.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Had I not already cut the truss rod slot, this would have been the simplest way out.

I wondered about that. How about cutting out the whole area where the truss rod routing is and replacing with a wider piece? Then re-route for the truss rod. Otherwise, cut the sides even and then add strips of contrasting wood to booth sides to re-gain your width. Then tell everyone you designed it that way. Where there is a will, there is a way.

 

[chriscarcinogen]

4 string it.

 

[singlemalt]

I ate the left over potato salad. That was Tuesday. I can almost look at food again today.

So I recover from a mistake in a few days, but it wasn’t pretty.

 

[RichterScale]

I'm going back/forth between jointing the sides and adding a strip to either side, or cutting it down the middle, planing it down to remove the truss slot and adding the wider center section. Both would be tricky for me, especially with the basic jigs I have. Did you already taper the neck on the back side too? Or is the neck still an even thickness front to back?
If it is, and it was me, the lesser of 2 evils would be to cut it in half, then clamp it in my router sled with the center facing up and plane off the truss slot.
If the back side isn't tapered yet, it still sits level, it should be easy enough to make a jig to square it up for routing a new truss slot.

 

[bherman]

Add to the sides - it'll look beautiful from the front and whatever you do the sides if you do it well, it will look like you planned it that way. If the truss channel is good to go, don't tempt fate. I build furniture and this kind of thing happens often, just think your way through a solution that will be as good or better as the original plan.