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MAKING THE NECK -- 1

 

 

wpe4.jpg (14717 bytes)  This is the beginning of making my neck blanks.  I start with a piece of mahogany that is 3" thick (technically, it is 12/4 rough stock), 4" wide and 28 " long.   It is cut in the center and the sides are reversed.  This means that any tendency of the wood to warp in one direction will be countered by the two pieces moving in different directions, not the same direction.  In fact, mahogany is very stable and this is not much of a problem.  The pieces are run over a jointer to get a perfectly flat surface  and then run through a planer to make each piece parallel  and of equal thickness.  I spread glue over the matching faces and then add the first of the laminations.

 

neck-1-23.jpg (18894 bytes) 

neck-1-24.jpg (49165 bytes) 

 

wpe4.jpg (11478 bytes)   Here, the two pieces of 1/8" maple have been added and glue is applied again.

 

 

 

 

 

wpe5.jpg (12141 bytes)   Here the center piece of 1/8" rosewood is added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wpe6.jpg (10681 bytes)  After several of these laminated blocks have been glued, I clamp them up.  I find that I can glue up about 4 blocks before clamping without running into problems with the glue setting prematurely.

 

 

 

another photo of the glue up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

neck-1-9.jpg (35800 bytes)

 

wpe8.jpg (10778 bytes)   After cleaning up the glue that squeezed out, the blocks are ready to cut the necks out.

 

 

wpe9.jpg (7052 bytes)   Each block will result in two neck blanks.  I used to use 4" thick mahogany and would not have to glue ears on the peghead.  These days, due to the cost and concern with availability of mahogany, I use the 3" and plan to glue small ears onto the peghead to accommodate the width of my peghead shape.  Each neck gets its "ears" from the block it came from so the wood matches well.

wpe4.jpg (13305 bytes)  A stack of neck blanks!!

 

 

 

 

This website and all of its content, text and images are copyright ©1997-2011 by Charles A. Hoffman.  All rights reserved.

2219 East Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN. 55404

hoffmanguitars@qwestoffice.net or choffman@hoffmanguitars.com

(612) 338-1079