Correcting Warp

[Geo]

Hi.

I have a cocobolo fingerboard blank that has developed a slight warp in the few months I've had it. It's very subtle, maybe two or three millimeters off across the whole length.

Right now I have it gently clamped to the table of my table saw. The surface is flat and has holes in it, so the wood has fairly even exposure to the air.

My question is... should I wet the wood a little bit to help it bend flat? If so, should I wet the concave side, the convex side, or both? Any thoughts?

I'm feeling rather impatient, as this warped wood is holding up my project!

Thanks.

[Woodenspoke]

Hi.

I have a cocobolo fingerboard blank that has developed a slight warp in the few months I've had it. It's very subtle, maybe two or three millimeters off across the whole length.

Right now I have it gently clamped to the table of my table saw. The surface is flat and has holes in it, so the wood has fairly even exposure to the air.

My question is... should I wet the wood a little bit to help it bend flat? If so, should I wet the concave side, the convex side, or both? Any thoughts?

I'm feeling rather impatient, as this warped wood is holding up my project!

Thanks.

Its always a toss up when using warped wood of unknow age and dryness. I would suggest heating up the piece with a heat gun or high intensity light bulb, and then securely clamping the peice down on a known flat surface using a very thick straight caul, and see if that helps. Bowed side up when clamping. You need to get the blank pretty hot, if you see wisps of smoke stop. Just adding water will not help with a warp and could make it worse. try heating without water first.

If it isnt a finished blank then make sure you cant just cut out the problem and sand out the rest of the warp, remember to take into account the radius of your finished fret board?

Woodenspoke

[Geo]

Woodenspoke, thanks for the advice. That makes sense.

The blank is not finished, but I had begun planing/sanding it down when I noticed the warp. I would feel more comfortable working on it if it was not warped. But, given my poor skills, it probably won't make much difference!

Alternatively, I could imagine gluing the fingerboard to the neck (which is nice and flat) and then thicknessing it. I haven't tried cutting fret slots with the fingerboard already attached to the neck, but I suppose it could still be done.

I will wait for other opinions before doing anything drastic with the wood.

Edited March 8, 2007 by Geo

[Mattia]

Sorry, but warp in what direction? 2-3mm lengthwise is irrelevant, ignore it, slot and radius away. Width-wise, it needs to be planed out.

[Geo]

Sorry, but warp in what direction? 2-3mm lengthwise is irrelevant, ignore it, slot and radius away. Width-wise, it needs to be planed out.

Sorry not to specify--warp lengthwise. I will attempt to describe it better:

If you take one end as being "correct", one corner at the other end would be lifted a little bit. So it is a bit of lengthwise warp AND a bit of twist. But it's very slight; if you clamp one end down, the corner that shows warp is maybe 3mm off the flat surface.

I appreciate the reply.

[Daniel Sorbera]

Doesn't matter at all. With a fingerboard blank being so thin you can bend it quite a bit with only light pressure. A little bow in the board will not effect it.

[Geo]

Doesn't matter at all. With a fingerboard blank being so thin you can bend it quite a bit with only light pressure. A little bow in the board will not effect it.

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the advice, and I think I will get back to work!

[Mattia]

Remember you're going to slot the thing, and radius it. If it's so minimal a bit of pressure with a single finger will keep it all flat now, when it's thicker and stiffer than it will be, there's seriously nothing much to worry about..

[Woodenspoke]

Hi.

I have a cocobolo fingerboard blank that has developed a slight warp in the few months I've had it. It's very subtle, maybe two or three millimeters off across the whole length.

Right now I have it gently clamped to the table of my table saw. The surface is flat and has holes in it, so the wood has fairly even exposure to the air.

My question is... should I wet the wood a little bit to help it bend flat? If so, should I wet the concave side, the convex side, or both? Any thoughts?

I'm feeling rather impatient, as this warped wood is holding up my project!

Thanks.

Make sure the worst side is toward the pickups where you will cut the most fret slots. If its your first guitar and you plan on others, dont sweat it. My first guitar I trashed many years ago. Looked cool but was a better piece of firewood.

If you are really worried buy a new board from a different dealer, if it was sold to you as a fret board it should not have warped unless it was exposed to excessive moisture in your workspace.

Woodenspoke

[Mattia]

All wood moves, and even the best selected stock from a good dealer is zero guarantee. Most of my fingerboard stock, in the rough, isn't anywhere near flat enough for use, but it's easily planed to size. Unless you store your wood stickered and weighted, it will tend to move, even if it's only a tiny amount.

[fryovanni]

+1 to what Mattia said.

Wood does move a bit. I will qualify that; when you first recieve wood it may be coming from a different region that has a very different climate, during shipping it is bound to see differences in humidity and temperature. This is why EVERY dealer out there will tell you that this slight movement is normal, and they suggest stickering your wood when you first recieve it. Say the wood arrives and aclimates to your ambient environment and all is well. Now you have normal seasonal shifts in humidity which will continue to effect the wood. You can certainly control your shop, but at some point the guitar will leave your shop. Then it will be subjected to seasonal changes for its lifespan. When you apply a finish it does not stop the seasonal changes in moisture content. It will slow the transfer down (hopefully a lot) and make the changes more gradual.

For what it is worth. I do surface my fretboards just before I slot them. This is the best way for me to control the slot depths during the slotting process. If I inlay it I just clip it down and work away. After that it is radiused(I make sure to hold it flat while radiusing) and attached. I leave my necks to settle after they are glued up(generally for a couple weeks). Then I am ok with final surfacing and fretting.

Peace,Rich

[Geo]

I appreciate all the replies.

This is my second build (though I don't expect it to be too much better than my first, which is pretty bad )

I wasn't surprised that the wood moved... just wondering if I should do something to correct it. The consensus is that it's fine, so that's what I'll go with!

Thanks fellas!