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what do you know about tapering lams for a bass neck?


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preface: so... originally I was thinking i was going to do a 1 3/4 wide neck for a 4 string i'm going to build... did up my laminate blank... then changed my mind to 1 1/2 due to exploring my sr890 recently.  so... right now the inner lams are both approx 11/16 each which would cause my accent veneers to run out before the headstock.  probably would be fine... but I think I'm going to cut a v into the center pieces with a 1/8" bit, then cut them on the bandsaw... then how to resurface them?

how do you cut a taper in the lams for a neck - specifically how to surface the lams?

option 1: to make a jig for my auto planer.  anyone have any such jigs?

option2: is to setup my router planer to do a surface... but this leaves mild tool marks that'd have to be sanded out.  that's fine when you are doing a fretboard because it's ltd real estate... in this case it's a 42" long x 2.5" thick blank... would like a better option.

non-option2: I 'spose one might use a hand planer but I don't have one... so that options out.

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Do you mean you'd like the blanks to be like looong wedges?

If so, the auto planer might be an option. Are we talking about the tool where there's a tray underneath and blades rolling above the object to be planed?

If so, take two boards and put something at the other end to raise it. Attach them firmly to each other. Then attach the lam on the upper board with masking tape and superglue, or double sided tape if you prefer. The image might help:

kuva.png.40defe291cc7b518b59d593cc0bb666c.png

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5 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

Do you mean you'd like the blanks to be like looong wedges?

If so, the auto planer might be an option. Are we talking about the tool where there's a tray underneath and blades rolling above the object to be planed?

If so, take two boards and put something at the other end to raise it. Attach them firmly to each other. Then attach the lam on the upper board with masking tape and superglue, or double sided tape if you prefer. The image might help:

kuva.png.40defe291cc7b518b59d593cc0bb666c.png

yes, this is what I meant.  I was thinking it might be a solid idea (if I was going this route) to use a piano hinge or door hinges at one end... then perhaps use t-nuts and bolts at the other end to be able to raise/lower it and a center piece that would be attached at the sides to allow the t-nuts to swivel.  ie a center piece that is attached to the sides via bolts... with two t nuts say 3" in from the edge, then a 'u' shaped cut in the top board that the bolts could sit in... with a nut under that board to fasten the bolts to. 

one issue I see, is that the rollers aren't going to be able to grab on one side of the board(left on your pic), or I'll be taking off a LOT as it hits the high (right side) of the board.  my auto planer is working great... but the one side needs to remove +-1/4". 

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1 hour ago, mistermikev said:

one issue I see, is that the rollers aren't going to be able to grab on one side of the board(left on your pic), or I'll be taking off a LOT as it hits the high (right side) of the board.

I should have mentioned that depending on the angle you'd have to run several passes, taking just the upper right corner on the first run and continue step by step until you've reached the left end of your workpiece.
The hinge is a good idea as is the height adjustment screw - for the latter, though, simply moving the block between the hinge and the other end would be just as accurate. Less work at assembly, more at adjusting.

And thanks, good ol' Paint is a versatile tool for sketching.

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Just now, Bizman62 said:

I should have mentioned that depending on the angle you'd have to run several passes, taking just the upper right corner on the first run and continue step by step until you've reached the left end of your workpiece.
The hinge is a good idea as is the height adjustment screw - for the latter, though, simply moving the block between the hinge and the other end would be just as accurate. Less work at assembly, more at adjusting.

And thanks, good ol' Paint is a versatile tool for sketching.

right on.  my concern with the stick would be twofold.. wouldn't be as secure, and wouldn't be as repeatable.  would def work and quick and easy def has it's merit. 

multiple passes: this is the issue... on that first pass, with the planer setup high... the wheels might not grab until it gets almost all the way through.  my concern is safety as the there will likely be no grab from the wheels until it gets half way there... and I do not like the idea of touching anything while it's in the planer.  the main issue is a kickback could def break your hand.  worse you get pulled in.  I know there is some slop where the wheels actually drop down further than the blade... but how much.  I guess the only way to know is to find out.  have you done this?

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5 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

have you done this?

I've used a stick at the other end for planing the neck break angle on a surface planer or jointer if you prefer that word.

Supposedly the angle of your lams is a lot less than a neck break angle so gravity should take care of most of the potential kickback. Or do you mean there's powered rollers before the blade, feeding the block? In that case just attach a sacrificable board on one or both sides the jig. That should give the planer something to chew all the way along.

kuva.png.753f6b52c2bf37c077488e36a8ae76de.png

 

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44 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

I've used a stick at the other end for planing the neck break angle on a surface planer or jointer if you prefer that word.

Supposedly the angle of your lams is a lot less than a neck break angle so gravity should take care of most of the potential kickback. Or do you mean there's powered rollers before the blade, feeding the block? In that case just attach a sacrificable board on one or both sides the jig. That should give the planer something to chew all the way along.

kuva.png.753f6b52c2bf37c077488e36a8ae76de.png

 

sacrificial board... that's a solid idea.  thing that could work well.   thanks for the tip.

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you didn't add that they only will answer yes or no... And the answer is "what would that other guard answer if I asked him if this is the door to freedom?"

Now that we've got to the yes or no questions, how would you answer this expecting that your wife knows the question and can hear the answer: "Have you stopped cheating on your wife yet? Yes or no? 😬"

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28 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

you didn't add that they only will answer yes or no... And the answer is "what would that other guard answer if I asked him if this is the door to freedom?"

Now that we've got to the yes or no questions, how would you answer this expecting that your wife knows the question and can hear the answer: "Have you stopped cheating on your wife yet? Yes or no? 😬"

I would answer "true" because either I've stopped cheating on my wife or I haven't... doh!  "do you want to go to the movies or not" answer is always "true".  so if you have 7 red balloons, 4 blue balloons, and 1 white balloon... how many distinct 3 balloon combinations...

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Five, if my fingers didn't fail on me... And unless the positioning doesn't matter, i.e. if red+red+white=white+red+red=red+white+red etc.

I would have loved to answer "Canada" but that's a purely Finnish thing from an eighties show.

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40 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

Five, if my fingers didn't fail on me... And unless the positioning doesn't matter, i.e. if red+red+white=white+red+red=red+white+red etc.

I would have loved to answer "Canada" but that's a purely Finnish thing from an eighties show.

well... it would depend... are all red balloons distinct from each other?  does order matter (as you asked).  if so you have 12 choices for position 1... 11 choices for 2... have traumatic flashbacks... must.... stop.... trying.... to.... answer....

canada?  they got math up there?

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R is Red, W is White. How come Y is Blue?

And "Canada" was the answer of the Studio Team for any question in an imaginary quiz show. The home viewers could then send a postcard telling whether the answer was right or wrong, participating in a lottery to win T-shirts or something similar.

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S'pose birds have eaten the bread crumbs dropped on the path. We're lost forever! You're meatier, the witch will eat you first! I'll get more gingerbread to eat!

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1 hour ago, Bizman62 said:

S'pose birds have eaten the bread crumbs dropped on the path. We're lost forever! You're meatier, the witch will eat you first! I'll get more gingerbread to eat!

"now there's something meatier".  I'll just tell the witch... "I'm not finish eating gingerbread... you'll want to eat him first"!  haha hardy har!

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