Laminated Neck Grain Orientation

[Buter]

'Mornin

I normally just sit in the corner quietly and learn from you fellas who know what you're talking about but I can't find a definitive answer to this question (yeah, there's some good stuff to be found with our little friend, Search, but this answer evaded me) so I have to ask the first of what I can only assume will be a multitude of stoopid questions.

When laminating a neck, which way should the grain be oriented? Do I plane the laminates to thickness and cut to width like in A or plane the laminates to the laminate width and cut to neck thickness like in B? I'm pretty sure that I already know the answer to this one but being wrong is one of my more persistent character flaws.

Is a scarf joint for the headstock still preferable on a laminated neck or is it ok to cut the headstock angle into the blank?

Great forum and I hope to contribute some useful stuf in the coming months.

Cheers

Buter

[westhemann]

B...but on B the piece on the far right goes in the center...

[jaycee]

As far as I can tell your drawing shows two different types of wood that have been cut from the stock in different ways. Pic A the wood is quarter sawn, whereas in pic B the wood is flat sawn.

So either way should be ok

[westhemann]

In pic B the laminations turn the blank quartersawn(effectively)...and that is what matters when laminating necks...the "ripping and flipping",not the way it is if it were on it's side in a one piece.

[WezV]

i would be happy with either, flatsawn is good, quartersawn is good, laminating improves it either way

it also gives you the option of using wood thats neither quarter or flatsawn - as long as you can mirror it so the tension is balanced - like this

for skinny necks i do prefer it quartered but with a two way rod and dual CF bars its not such an issue

[Buter]

Thanks Wez 'n Wes

Wez - Thanks for the pic, definately worth 1,000 words. Am I correct in saying on your latest build (I think) you cut the headstock and the neck as one piece instead of scarfing? I would have thought that a laminated neck wouldn't suffer from the short grain breakage problem but, again, wouldn't mind a bit of confirmation.

Cheers

Buter

[WezV]

i dont think there is a need to scarf a laminated neck

[Rick500]

+1 on Wez's advice.

[Buter]

Thanks, Gents!

Two blanks in clamps as we speak.

This is me just sticking my toes in the water so I'll post up the results near the end of the month, beginning of next month.

Cheers

Buter

[ihocky2]

You'll still get short grain issued with a laminated neck because it is still unsupported end grain, but with a laminated neck the extra strength of the laminate helps a lot. I still like a scarfed joint, just for less wasted lumber.

[WezV]

You'll still get short grain issued with a laminated neck because it is still unsupported end grain, but with a laminated neck the extra strength of the laminate helps a lot. I still like a scarfed joint, just for less wasted lumber.

and those short grain sections are in different places on each lamination, which is why i think its not an issue

waste is always a factor, if its a bass i can normally get a guitar neck from the offcut.