catnine Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 I did a search but could'nt find this question posted . I am on my 4th strat neck . I have built many other guitars and I have not done any in a few years . I always roughed a neck in with a close to finish taper ( SIDE PROFILE ) and then marked a centerline on the back and used a spoke shave and worked a bit on each side to stay even . This time I marked several lines the length of the neck and fanned them out to match the width and depth and did smaller flat sided areas then took of the high points and sanded with a cloth belt strip cut from a beltsander belt . I wish I had a roundover bit and a shaper , this would do a great job . How about others here , how do you perform this task ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CudBucket Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 I'm at that point, or soon will be, with my project guitar. I've been considering making a jig like the one use by the Myka guitar maker. No shaper needed. A router will do. Take a look. Neck Carve Jig Dave My Project Guitar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracked Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Great question! I was wondering if you move the 'base' freehand? Or if the 'base' runs parralel to the 'base' of the router holder. Man, was that worded right? I wasnt to build one but to use on a router table. Same principle should work, no? MYKA, HELP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 I gave up on spokeshave's long ago.. It's fun if your only building a couple guitars, but without constant checking with contour guages you won't know your progress. Have you considered building a copy carver? You can find out everything you need to know about it at http://www.copycarver.com ... I can do the back of a neck with the device in minutes. Also once you have a neck build to your liking, you can duplicate them over and over with great accuracy. The setup is the only time consuming part, once you've got neck you want to copy aligned you can really knock some necks out fast.. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 geesh I should try this.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 You know, I am in the progress of completing my first build project, and shaping the neck was the one thing I really dreaded. I was so afraid I would I would mess all of the hard work I had done. I used nothing but a rasp and sandpaper to shape my neck. I know this isn't practical for you guys who build lots of guitars, but for us amatuers who might knock out one guitar per year or every six months or so, it worked well for me. I was able to take my time and do the shaping a little at a time. Don't get me wrong, it is a lot of work to do it by hand with just a rasp and sandpaper, but I would work for while until I got tired, then set it down for a day or two and come back to it fresh. After about three or four session like that, I got it to where I like the feel of it. And shaping the neck turned out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of building my first guitar. I really liked the way I saw it take shape right before my eyes and using the rasp and sandpaper allowed me to go very slowly and not make a mistake. (Let's face it, you have to make an effort to take off alot of wood in a hurry using a rasp. This was not one of those cheese grader rasps, but one that is more like a coarse file, with a flat side and a half round side.) And I know the next neck I build will come out even better because of everything I learned on this first one. There was just something about doing it by hand with hand tools that seemed more like woodworking to me. Its just a mental thing I guess, it just seemed more personal to me than using a router and a round over bit. But, like I said, it wouldn't be practical for you guys who churn out the axes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 I was wondering if you move the 'base' freehand? Or if the 'base' runs parralel to the 'base' of the router holder. Man, was that worded right? I wasnt to build one but to use on a router table. Same principle should work, no? MYKA, HELP! The reason the router is suspended over the neck is so that you clear the headstock. The router bit would have to stick up at least 2" above a router table and that is dangerous. And definitely do not try this freehand unless you want to hurt yourself. You need to keep the router stationary. Please be safe with this jig. The bit I use is 7/8" radius and that can get away from you quick if you are not careful. Use a variable speed router and go slow. I have a Porter Cable that goes from 1-5 and I set it at 2. You have to push the piece through but it is more easily controlled at low speed. It is also very important that you take small passes lowering the bit in 1/8" increments. This reduces tearout and makes it easier to control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracked Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 (edited) Thanks tons Myka, I think I'll stick with the rasp for a while more anyway. Great idea for the copy carver link too! Oh, I didn't mean using the Router base freehand, I meant the board that the neck is clamped onto. Does that board run along a straightedge or something or do you just move the board itself freehand. I can see that you'd have to move it left and right, the length of the neck but does it move against a fence or something? OR does the flush bearing basically make sure you don't stray. Thanks again! Edited December 10, 2004 by Cracked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catnine Posted December 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Thanks ; Pretty interesting setups for sure . I just don't make enough guitars to build these nice jigs . I went with the lines after trimming the neck side taper and used a sharp scrapper to make flat areas and you start out with five and keep adding new lines to add more narrower flat spots . It is very time consuming to do it this way but so far it gives my an accurate contour . I try different neck shapes for my strats for variety , and since I like fat necks they vary in nut width and thickness . the hard part is getting the shape to blend with the peghead and heel and stay symetrical . I just go slow and keep checking the contours and use lines as a guide . Maple is not the easiest wood in the world to shape by hand . I almost got a warmoth neck and filled the 22nd fret slot but figured my time is free and the necks cost quite alot and then it's not my guitar in the end . I did use one of those self setting metal gauges with all the metal rods but that thing is to cheap so not I use a backlight with a straight edge with the neck face down and the straight edge set on 1 1/4 blocks on either side of the neck and I use the shado case from the blocked light to check the progree of the conture . This way you can see every hump or valley and even mark the areas that need more shaping . Next time I think I'll rough in the neck and then form a scraper into the proper contour so it bottoms out on a flat surface on either side of the neck with the neck proped so the taper is level to the table surface . This way at least you can't screw up and go to far and the neck will come out perfectly even without constant checking of progress . Well as long as you keep the scraper 90 degrees to the neck length . Sit in a chair and pull , good for the stomach muscles . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannoG Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 I agree that making a neck by hand can be very satisfying. Especially if you are using one of the softer woods, like mahogany or limba. Maple, purpleheart, etc. are a bit tougher, might have to try the jig. Myka, I think I can say for all of us here that your sharing of info is a great gift to us all. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvanV Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 I gave up on spokeshave's long ago.. It's fun if your only building a couple guitars, but without constant checking with contour guages you won't know your progress. Have you considered building a copy carver? You can find out everything you need to know about it at http://www.copycarver.com ... I can do the back of a neck with the device in minutes. Also once you have a neck build to your liking, you can duplicate them over and over with great accuracy. The setup is the only time consuming part, once you've got neck you want to copy aligned you can really knock some necks out fast.. Good luck. this is off topic sorry, but...thanks GuitarFrenzy for the Making Of A Strat Pictorial...not that I want to make a strat, but it was really helpfull for 1000000000% noobies like me! Thanks a lot man! Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Thanks man I really appreciate that... sorry I haven't been around much lately, but working 12 to 16 hour days at work hasn't left me with much time. Although I've helped Carl finish 2 basses and 2 guitars in that time period, but basically just the fretting, electronics, assembly, and setting up since I've had limited time. Hopefully I can finish the other guitars I've gotten started soon in January when work slacks off. How's things going your way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvanV Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Hello, Im still a newbie for all this stuff, I still getting info about everything, your pictorial is awesome! really man, I appreciate the time you spent doing it. I have 1 final exam to go, next week I will print the Double Neck King V sketch from Spikes website and make some little adjusments...verify scale...draw cavities and all that stuff, then I will make the wood template, after that (a few months have been past) and I will begin to make the body, I also need to get some tools, so probably Ill PM you later for advices. Thanks, Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 I just rasp the two ends to shape and then join them with the spokeshave. I really enjoy it, it's probably one of the most rewarding parts of building a guitar for me. I don't think I'll ever use anything like a shaper for my necks, but if you like it, then go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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