Question on Neck Wood

afreiki

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I have two ukes in process, both are koa, one with koa soundboard and one with sitka spuce soundboard. The material I have on hand that is a size that would work for necks are:

Hemlock - never heard of anyone using it but it is light and strong and has a nice ring to it. I can always darken it with a stain.

Cocobolo - Lovely but very heavy - would it overbalance the uke?

or should I just buy some cedar?

Let me know what you think, and thank you in advance for your replies.

Anne Flyn
 
dont use the cocobolo.

no idea about the hemlock, apart from I think that is what Socrates drank at his execution.
 
I have two ukes in process, both are koa, one with koa soundboard and one with sitka spuce soundboard. The material I have on hand that is a size that would work for necks are:

Hemlock - never heard of anyone using it but it is light and strong and has a nice ring to it. I can always darken it with a stain.

Cocobolo - Lovely but very heavy - would it overbalance the uke?

or should I just buy some cedar?

Let me know what you think, and thank you in advance for your replies.

Anne Flyn

Okay, you made me look up hemlock. No. I would agree with Beau on the Cocobolo, unless you only had a choice between the two (some bass necks are made with Rosewood).

As for Cedar, what kind specifically do you have in mind?

On a side note - if you have enough Cocobolo to make a neck, I'd trade you a Spanish Cedar piece for the Cocobolo (I'm back to Maples again, and Cocobolo is one of my favorites for those instruments). ;)
 
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Hemlock is the poor cousin of the softwood family. It gets no respect. Its usually reserved for siding meant to be painted. But I think you should try it and tell us what you think, especially if you use bolt-on necks. I'd address any strength issue with a stiff, thickish fingerboard. After all, how often do we get to discover something new?

Don't confuse Western red cedar with Spanish cedar. If red cedar works as a neck hemlock should be a shoe-in.
 
Okay, you made me look up hemlock. No. I would agree with Beau on the Cocobolo, unless you only had a choice between the two (some bass necks are made with Rosewood).

As for Cedar, what kind specifically do you have in mind?

On a side note - if you have enough Cocobolo to make a neck, I'd trade you a Spanish Cedar piece for the Cocobolo (I'm back to Maples again, and Cocobolo is one of my favorites for those instruments). ;)

It might be kind of hard to trade, since it is so dang heavy and you are half an ocean away.
 
Anne; As you know cocobolo is very dense....I've used it for fingerboards, but no more...too heavy IMHO....as neck wood? It will be VERY heavy, if that's what you're looking for. Western Hemlock?....I have a few 1/4 sawn boards that I picked for necks, but haven't gotten around to using it on necks...feels good, is light colored (good/bad?).....tempting. Let us know how it goes.....Doug
 
Mahogany is best for necks. As I understand, the the direction of the grain alters each year of growth, with creates a kind of natural "plywood" effect. This makes the neck very strong and resistant to warping over time. That is why most guitars have mahogany necks.

However, you might try something unusual for the fretboard, although it would have to be a very hard wood to stand up over time. Again, that is why rosewood and ebony are usually used on guitars.

That said, ukulele's are relatively lightly strung and not subject to the heavy stresses as a guitar would. So you could get away with lighter construction.
 
The Cocobolo is pretty hard, and precious too. Seems that a billet large enough for a neck could be sawn into a fair number of fretboards. You'd probably use up all your elbow grease shaping a neck from such a hard and dense wood anyways.
I live in New Hampshire, and the necks for my last two builds came from a maple log in a firewood pile. Not very difficult to find suitable stock when all the pieces are so small.

Good luck,
Ron B
 
Cocobolo is too heavy, and too unstable. Unless you roughed in in close, then let it sit for a few years, Moisture moves so slowly through that wood, that if you started with a billet, cut it into shape, the wood sill need to rest for a good long time for any precision application. Better be really straight grain too. Cocobolo can be stable, but patience is necessary.

Hemlock varies quite a bit. If it is quartersawn, not resinous, and very dry, it might be ok. For what wood costs in comparison to labor, I would go with something more time-tested. Hemlock is another wood that I would rough in the neck blank, and let it sit before bringing it into precision. Actually I think that is a good idea with any wood. I have integrated this concept into my woodworking for years, rough milling, and lots of 'rest' before final milling. Often there is movement in the rest period. Just my opinion.
 
Went to the wood store

Mahogany is best for necks. As I understand, the the direction of the grain alters each year of growth, with creates a kind of natural "plywood" effect. This makes the neck very strong and resistant to warping over time. That is why most guitars have mahogany necks.

However, you might try something unusual for the fretboard, although it would have to be a very hard wood to stand up over time. Again, that is why rosewood and ebony are usually used on guitars.

That said, ukulele's are relatively lightly strung and not subject to the heavy stresses as a guitar would. So you could get away with lighter construction.

Got some Mahogany. There are many mahoganies, I notice. What do people think of african mahogane, sapele, etc.?
 
Got some Mahogany. There are many mahoganies, I notice. What do people think of african mahogane, sapele, etc.?

It depends on the piece you've got. Some are heavier than others. Some of have complex and interlocking grain that is harder to carve well. I still remember the first time I ran a chisel cross grain on Honduras mahogany about 35 years ago (boat building not lutherie!) I doubt that any wood has working properties that are better suited to carving uke necks.
 
Got some Mahogany. There are many mahoganies, I notice. What do people think of african mahogane, sapele, etc.?

I would try to get some Honduran mahogany rather than African. African has a shorter grain and doesn't bend very well in my experience and I don't care for the sound properites. Using it for necks would better than the other wood you mentioned, but I would be sure to use a graphite truss rod with it. Sapele would be OK too.
 
Honduras Mahogany is one of my very favorite woods. It is a pleasure to work with, and the color that it can develop is fantastic.

Spanish Cedar is a new wood to me, but I like it. It is stable and lightweight, easy to work.

African Mahogany is nice, but for instrument wood, it is a second choice for me. ( I have plenty of Hondo, as about 20 years ago I made a trip to Portland and Seattle for a week, visiting any wood store I could find, and bought a LOT of really nice stuff), and have continued buying it when I find decent stuff. It seems like good Honduras disappeared in the last 10 years. It is expensive now, and difficult to find. I have read that some people prefer African over Honduras for some things. IMO, African Mahogany, Khaya, is pretty, nice for wide expanses of ribbon grain, but it is not as pretty in color. It tends to be more dense. It is nice wood.

Sapele is further down the list. It can have a nice ribbon grain and pretty ray-fleck. I would not search it out for ukes, and I cannot think of where/ why I would use it.


Black Limba is cool neck wood. Not heavy, pretty, and stable.

For ukes, unless I want to try something specific, like a local wood build, Spanish Cedar, Honduras Mahogany, or Limba (because it is such an oddball color), that's it. Just my hillbilly opinion.
 
With regards to cedar, Spanish Cedar is actually a member of the mahogany family, and not a true cedar at all. I think you would find most true cedar to be too soft. Spanish cedar compared to other mahoganies I've worked with is incredibly light, but still strong and stable. That's why it's such a great wood for a uke neck.

EDIT: I should add, I make a lot of my necks out of sycamore, because I can find it quarter sawn here in Michigan readily, it's relatively light, and still plenty strong for uke necks.

EDIT II: that's American Sycamore, not what the brits call sycamore, which is what people in the states call maple...

EDIT III: this isn't a recommendation for sycamore, just saying I've used it and still have a few blanks made up of it that I will eventually use. I've been told that it can warp, but my main player, now four years old (or more) seems as true as the day I made it.
 
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They are all good. Some Spanish Cedar is very lightweight but you can get denser examples. I stay clear of the light weight stuff. I'm afraid it's on the CITES list, along with Honduran Mahogany. Both of these woods are stable and easy to carve, which is why they are so popular as neck wood.
The Khaya that I've had was pretty awful stuff but I'm sure better behaved wood of it's type is available. The twenty odd lengths that I had ended up as firewood. Expensive firewood. Sapele is fine but it is denser than Honduran mahogany or Khaya, more difficult to work. Polishes well with a less open grain. It can be had cheap - which is probably why some folk don't like it. :rolleyes:
The less exotic Cherry, Maple and Walnut are perfectly fine for necks too. Plenty of choice.
 
Michael, I've used cherry, and it's on the heavy side, but the two instruments I've built with cherry necks have the best sustain of any I've made. I've been considering trying a neck from walnut, it's fairly light and very stable. Eastern walnut, which is what's native to me here in Michigan, is lighter than black walnut or claro walnut, and I think it might look nice. It's also less expensive than the other two, which is good, 'cause they can be very expensive indeed!
 
Another definite NO on the Cocobolo. I have used hemlock for a number of things, though mostly firewood. It degrades very rapidly if allowed to get wet. It is close grained and the best of it is probably hard and string enough to make a neck on a Uke, though I'd hedge my bet with a little carbon fiber. The reason is that it has a short fiber and may take a set after time under tension. I would under no circumstance expect Western Red to work, and have to assume you didn't mean that, but Cuban Cedar. Also, I agree that true mahogany is pretty much ideal, and has the advantage that it is similar in appearance to Koa, so looks right. I have been using Koa for necks lately, and while it is not as easy to work as Mahogany, it certainly does the job and is exactly the right color.
 
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