Making Necks

This isn't meant to be a tutorial on how to make necks, but rather a pictorial of how I make my once piece necks. I start with large boards of Spanish cedar, about 3" X 12" X 12' long. From there I cut them down into smaller "cants" from which I can get two necks each. Then I spend all day and whittle it down to little sticks and firewood for the sauna.

BTW, the photos are out of order. Not hard to figure out though.

Oh, and here's the finished pile. I will finish carving them when they are needed. I feel that by removing stock well in advance of my using the necks it relieves them of any stresses that might be present. Probably not necessary though. I "carve" all my necks on a 6" X 48" belt sander. I'm sure there are better and faster ways but I haven't found it and this is the way I've always done it. I believe John Greven does it the same way.

In order to be efficient in the shop I'll spend a couple of days every few months making parts I can pull off the shelf any tie I need them. This is about three dozen necks. I do the same with bridges, making about 50 at a time. Tomorrow it'll be kerfings and brace stock.

I use the same system as well Chuck. In fact I'm down to my last 4 necks...so it's time I ordered more wood ...I don't have anybody at the moment who can supply my mahogany timber in 3 inch square lengths...so I just have to work round what I can get.

Thanks for showing, Chuck! I've always wondered about what happens to the wood that gets whittled away, especially with necks made from a single piece. Even if you get to fit two necks onto one board, it would still seem like a lot of waste. Nice to see that you're using it as firewood.

We use the same system for Huss & Dalton guitar necks, Chuck.

It used to make me crazy that we threw away the chunk of wood between the necks after they were cut out of the block. But the shape is so weird that it took me years to figure out how to turn them into uke necks. Making them is a project, but its fun. The rosewood slices (also recycled) throw a wrench into the shaping due to the differences in hardness, but I love the way they look afterward. I won't make all my necks this way because I have so much solid stock, but for special occasions they are fun.

Try eBay Ken. Type in 'Khaya'. I've just bought 4 shorts and got a bunch of necks and 6 nicely quartered back and side sets all for a decent price.

Well wadaya know - I was just now going to post about the very same topic! Chuck, I hope you don't mind my latching onto your thread :

Here's what I've done this afternoon:



21 walnut banjo uke neck blanks, cut from a tree across the street. The tree was cut down a couple years ago and chunks of the trunk were piled up near the alley. One day I asked the guy if I could have a few pieces and he said yes! I left them to dry for awhile in the back yard, then about a month ago I borrowed a log splitter and split them up. Moisture content is about 20%, give or take. This afternoon I've rough-cut them about 1/8" over-size to allow for shrinkage. Latex varnish on the ends to reduce splitting. I will dry them for a few months and then they will be ready for use

The off-fall will make great kindling this winter.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

I "carve" all my necks on a 6" X 48" belt sander.

Click to expand...

Chuck, I would love to see a video of how you do this. Shaping the neck with chisels and files has always been very difficult for me.

Thanks again, for showing us your methods Chuck, I'm always ready to learn!

Bob

A photo set maybe, but if you want a video you'll have to come here and shoot it. I'll leave the videos to the smart guys like Ken and Pete!