Screwy neck blank: trash or tolerable?

Dan Gleibitz

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Hi brains trust,

One of my neck blanks (acacia) arrived a bit cupped, a bit warped and a bit twisted. It's got plenty of surplus wood on it, so I could just plane and sand it back to square before I use it. But I'm wondering if it's likely to cause issues in the future, and if there's any way to tell if it's done twisting or only part way there?

I'm thinking I'll just plane/sand it, shape it, then let it sit for a few weeks and see what it does. Or do you think that would be a waste of effort?
 
Saw it in half length wise flip one side end for end and glue the cut faces back together. It should not go anywhere and you will have a convenient center seam for reference. The grain may not match well so think about it.
 
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Update: in typical noob style, I ignored the good advice above (which is appreciated, thanks!) and just planed and sanded it flat then cut and glued it.

I think it's going to be fine, this particular piece is dry and hard as heck. I thought Acacia dealbata would be soft, but this is tough as nails. And it's got a lovely tight curl to it, so I cut six nice bridge blanks from the surplus. I made a test today and will machine the rest up tomorrow.

cvXJeyW.jpg
 
Curly figure for necks? Well, you really deserve everything you get for ignoring the advice :)

Heh, yes, I take both your points. And full responsibility. :)

Good lessons learned though. I wouldn't buy this wood for a neck again. Aside from the obvious issues, it's just too hard to work, and probably too heavy as well. But now I know it makes great bridges, is tough enough for fretboards, is pretty as heck and machines and finishes well. I've pencilled it in for the top and back of #3.

So I'm glad I tried it, and if I end up with a neck that looks like Bells Beach under a sou-westerly, that's a bonus lesson! I've got a couple of other necks underway out of a nice straight-grained and light timber (but still Australian native - don't want to get all traditional here), so worst case I'll use one of them instead.
 
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Looks great. Hope it works out. Probably everything is going to be just fine. The grain orientation on the top of the peghead does give me some pause however. Wood tends to want to align along the grain line. Remember; trees tend to grow as spirals not straight out of the ground and linear like we like to think ... Slap in a reinforcing rod, glue on a stiff fretboard and cross your fingers. Probably gonna be just fine.
 
I love the look of southern pine. The stuff I scavenged from a job was almost as hard as hardrock maple. It's pretty oily and hard. I'm not convinced it will make a great top.
 
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