I've been trying to think up a way to shape a neck other than the the typical way using rasps and whatnot out of fear that I will horribly screw up and have a useless pile of neck crap. Is it possible or feasable to simply make a mold of a neck that I already have and strap some sandpaper to the inside of the mold once it's hardened? After you have very very roughly shaped neck you could then start sanding with the molded shape into the neck.
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Shaping a neck
- Thread starter full_bleed
- Start date
- Jun 6, 2004
- 6,351
- 543
- 66
- Disclosures
- Owner and builder Clementbass
Go for it! 
- Jun 6, 2004
- 6,351
- 543
- 66
- Disclosures
- Owner and builder Clementbass
Get yourself some scrap maple or something. Agathis will work too, plus it's cheaper. Almost any hardwood will do.
Bassic83 said:
+1
if you're going to learn how to be a luthier, you must also be a woodworker. In order to do that, you must be experienced at working with ... ummmm ... WOOD!
don't be afraid of your projects...embrace it!
I agree. I've just started my first thru neck. I've glued up the laminates for the neck and this morning I attacked it with a bandsaw to taper it and shape the headstock (not scarfed, that can wait until the next one!!! this one is straight like a strat...)It's now ready for the files, rasps, & power sanders.......
Oh yes and the router to cut the truss rod slot.
Go for it, you've nothing to loose but a lump of wood!!! It's not a guitar untill the strings are on it!
Oh yes and the router to cut the truss rod slot.
Go for it, you've nothing to loose but a lump of wood!!! It's not a guitar untill the strings are on it!
And an experience earner!!
As a followup to my earlier post I can say I'd forgotten how good it feels to be let loose with a spokeshave!!!
Pull ALL your fuses and forget using power tools!!!
I LOVE THIS!!!!
In gfact I'm going to live in the woods!!
As a followup to my earlier post I can say I'd forgotten how good it feels to be let loose with a spokeshave!!!
Pull ALL your fuses and forget using power tools!!!
I LOVE THIS!!!!
In gfact I'm going to live in the woods!!
I hate you all.
Man I wish I had my own shop instead of a kitchen table in a small boston apartment...
Man I wish I had my own shop instead of a kitchen table in a small boston apartment...
There is indeed something very cool with peeling back the curls with a good sharp spokeshave. I've just finished my first neck-thru and I'm amazed at how well the spokeshave works, once I got used to it going wacky on the figured maple. 
But really it's so control-able and very even, now I wish I had one wide enough to do the whole neck from the back. Then using a random orbital sander the smoothing and shaping becomes very easy, well allright relatively easy.
Like it was said before it's only wood, just do it!
Dirk
But really it's so control-able and very even, now I wish I had one wide enough to do the whole neck from the back. Then using a random orbital sander the smoothing and shaping becomes very easy, well allright relatively easy. Like it was said before it's only wood, just do it!
Dirk
klocwerk said:I hate you all.
Man I wish I had my own shop instead of a kitchen table in a small boston apartment...
At least in Chile, I haven't met a single luthier that has a bigger space than a 3m by 3m bedroom - and that includes a painting cabin and a closet for hanging instruments with fresh paint to dry
sotua said:At least in Chile, I haven't met a single luthier that has a bigger space than a 3m by 3m bedroom - and that includes a painting cabin and a closet for hanging instruments with fresh paint to dry
If I even had that I'd be quite happy. *le sigh*
"My" part of our apartment is my desk in the corner of our living room with my computer on it. That's about the only part I can claim as my own. And I get in trouble when I clamp stuff to the table even if I pad the clamps.
Anyway, sorry to derail this thread. heh.
DZ said:
By shaper, do you mean a shaper/router table? I ask because I always thought that I could get a round over bit with a big enough radius and just do each side of the back of the neck by holding it up to the fence and making a couple of passes. Then you would have a basic shape to go from.
Am I wrong?
