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The Hossenfeffer Bass Build

#41
Gilmourisgod said:
...

Any suggestions as to best practice to cut the angle on the back of the headstock appreciated. I can't think of anything other than bandsaw close to line and then sand the hell out of it. Suggestions? I have a Robosander, thought maybe I could set it up with a fence as a low-budget thickness sander?
Click to expand...

The best results I've had from my limited experience is to bandsaw (or in my case, jigsaw) close to the line, clamp the neck back into the jig with the top of the angled portion down, and using the flat area of the jig, use the router as a thicknesser.

Pardon the rough illustrator drawing:

2igj72w.jpg
 
#42
For my latest build I used a Wagner Safe-T-Planer for this. It works great, and is a pretty handy tool to have around, especially for us who don't have a thickness planer or sander. Of course, you still need a drill press.
Actually, what I have is not the real deal, but a knockoff I found on eBay. Wagner discontinued theirs some time ago, and people are paying silly money for used ones. As far as I can tell, my knockoff works just as well.

In the picture I've double stick taped it to a melamine board to keep the headstock down flat, and a scrap block to keep me from planing too far into the neck.

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#44
mapleglo said:
The best results I've had from my limited experience is to bandsaw (or in my case, jigsaw) close to the line, clamp the neck back into the jig with the top of the angled portion down, and using the flat area of the jig, use the router as a thicknesser.

Pardon the rough illustrator drawing:

2igj72w.jpg
Click to expand...
Maple,
I like it, that would take the guesswork inherent in sanding out of it, I never seem to get a truly level surface sanding that way. I can cannibalize the ramps from the first jig to make wedges for this one. I am going to have a volute, so I'll have to stop the cut just short of where it starts radiusing into the volute and do the rest by hand. I have a Delta 12" lunchbox planer, but obviously can't use it for this. I used the Delta to plane the neck beam to final thickness, very light passes with brand-new blades, and I still got some snipe and a little minor surface tearout on the back of the neck I'll have to sand out or fill. I haven't used it for a while, and had forgotten that you really need about 6" of waste on each end to catch the snipe. All part of the continuous series of small mistakes, I suppose.

PDX Mathias
Those Safe-T Planers work pretty well from what I've seen. I pondered buying one until I got the Delta, now I kind of wish I got one. How much was your knockoff? Do yo remember where you got it?

I'm wondering at what point I should cut the neck back profile? My instinct is to leave it as long as possible so I'm working with a square beam. I'm planning on binding and radiusing the fingerboard and cutting sharktooth inlays in as a separate assembly, then gluing the fingerboard (minus only the frets) to the neck beam and using it as a template to cut the neck sides to taper. In that scenario, I'm gluing the fingerboard to a still rectangular solid beam instead of a flexible rough carved neck. Does that sound like a good approach? The downside is that if I ruin the neck beam during the carving, the fingerboard is ruined with it. Opinions or advice?
 
#45
Gilmourisgod said:
...

I'm wondering at what point I should cut the neck back profile? My instinct is to leave it as long as possible so I'm working with a square beam. I'm planning on binding and radiusing the fingerboard and cutting sharktooth inlays in as a separate assembly, then gluing the fingerboard (minus only the frets) to the neck beam and using it as a template to cut the neck sides to taper. In that scenario, I'm gluing the fingerboard to a still rectangular solid beam instead of a flexible rough carved neck. Does that sound like a good approach? The downside is that if I ruin the neck beam during the carving, the fingerboard is ruined with it. Opinions or advice?
Click to expand...

I asked the same question during my axe build. I found it quite useful to shape the back of the neck last. There's something to be said about working on a flat and level surface for all the other steps. I consoled myself when I thought about the possibility of ruining the neck during carving of the back, by realizing that at any point during any build, any number of catastrophic events and/or mishaps would ruin the entire project :P
 
#46
On a bolt-on, I shape the neck profile just before final finish sanding.

On a neck-through, I shape the neck profile, except the heel, before gluing the sides on, after gluing, radiusing, and fretting the fingerboard.

It's best to have the neck square for as long as possible, but I think it's a bigger pain to carve the neck with a body hanging off of it than to deal with a non-square neck.
 
#47
HaMMerHeD said:
On a bolt-on, I shape the neck profile just before final finish sanding.

On a neck-through, I shape the neck profile, except the heel, before gluing the sides on, after gluing, radiusing, and fretting the fingerboard.

It's best to have the neck square for as long as possible, but I think it's a bigger pain to carve the neck with a body hanging off of it than to deal with a non-square neck.
Click to expand...
Thanks, good to know I'm not way off base in my thinking. On another note, the neck beam started out perfectly flat, but over the last couple months in my shop has developed a tiny (1/64-1/32") backbow, with the highpoint roughly center of the beam. Should this concern me, or should I just try to dial that out of the neck with the trussrod just before leveling frets? Who knows what it will do when I carve the back of the neck, hoping the graphite stiffeners will damp any tendency to twist. Would it make sense to press the neck flat on my jointer bed and glue the stiffener rods in now to prevent further movement?

Thanks for advice all, this site is a goldmine for noobs like me.
 
#50
Oh, and if you get a used Safe-T-Plane, make sure it includes the sharpening stone.
If you have a radial arm saw, I have an extra one for those, but it doesn't work with a drill press.

I would rough cut (but not carve) the neck now, then if the wood shows any tendencies to warp, you have a chance correct that before gluing on the fingerboard. Once the fingerboard is on, the neck gets much stiffer and more stable.
To flatten the neck surface I attach sandpaper to the flattest surface I can find, and run the neck over it. But then again, I don't have a jointer.
 
#51
I always kind of wondered about those Safety Planers, because nothing about them seems safe to me. Side loading a drill press is never a good idea, and it seems like a hand injury waiting to happen.
 
#52
Hopkins said:
I always kind of wondered about those Safety Planers, because nothing about them seems safe to me. Side loading a drill press is never a good idea, and it seems like a hand injury waiting to happen.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they are scary looking. I keep imagining it grabbing the wood, drawing my hand closer and closer to the blade. *shudder* Used cautiously, it seems like a nice accessory to have though.
 
#54
Yeah, you have to shave off wood in tiny increments. And ideally use a fence for stability and control.
I think the "safety" part is that the rim of the disc will touch your hand before the blades do, and that there is very little space for your finger to get underneath the rim.
 

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