Making One Piece necks and Firewood

Timbuck

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Yes! I know a lot gets wasted..but it's got to be done..And I do save some for end blocks...But not a lot ;)
 
My hat's off to you Luthiers!

It never ceases to amaze me what you guys/gals can turn out from blocks of wood!! :)

keep uke'in',
 
It also looks nicer Ken - I do not like to see spliced headstocks and stacked heels....
I agree Pete ..When I see stacked heels and spliced headstocks I think "Put together on the cheap just to save wood" :agree:... I will now retire to my bunker alongside Salman Rushdie & Julian Assange and wait until it's OK to emerge again :uhoh:
 
It also looks nicer Ken - I do not like to see spliced headstocks and stacked heels....

to each his own....but I like a well done stacked heel and scarf joint. I'm just a cheap old yankee I guess. I even prefer to see wings on the headstock to get that extra width. Its gotta be well done though, grain matched and clean joints.
 
I'm not a luthier but I am with you all on the stacked necks and scarfed headstocks. A one piece neck is a reflection of quality in my opinion.
 
A well executed scarf and stack is probably harder to achieve a quality finish (more joints and more opportunity for error).
My view (feel free to disagree) is use whatever neck style you feel like... I don't see how "quality" is measured by a few less cuts and a splash less glue. Do we worry that the top and back of the body are usually two pieces?

I will now run and hide to my bunker ☺️
 
I can appreciate both. I have seen some atrocious stacked heels. I think the one piece neck is a thing of beauty. I do have one ukulele that has all three though - stacked heel, scarf joint, and wings on the headstock - but the woods are interesting and well matched and really add to the overall look of the instrument.
 
to each his own....but I like a well done stacked heel and scarf joint. I'm just a cheap old yankee I guess. I even prefer to see wings on the headstock to get that extra width. Its gotta be well done though, grain matched and clean joints.

You want lots of joints? Try a banjo uke body 96 pieces of wood = 192 joints lol.
 
Agree with ksquine. I think one piece necks are more a luxury rather than an indication of quality.
Miguel
 
I see a scarf joint as a stronger head joint with less chance of short grain failure. I am guessing not too much of an issue on a small instrument.
 
Stacked heels

I agree Pete ..When I see stacked heels and spliced headstocks I think "Put together on the cheap just to save wood" :agree:... I will now retire to my bunker alongside Salman Rushdie & Julian Assange and wait until it's OK to emerge again :uhoh:

You don't need to hide in your bunker Timbuck, but I would argue that it takes a lot more skill to make a properly stacked heel than to cut whole necks out of a precious big chunk of wood. Stacking will make a stronger heel as well. If done right, the joints are almost invisible.
 
to each his own....but I like a well done stacked heel and scarf joint. I'm just a cheap old yankee I guess. I even prefer to see wings on the headstock to get that extra width. Its gotta be well done though, grain matched and clean joints.

I too am a Yankee by birth and it urks me a bit to see the waste. Very expensive kindling that tugs at my cheap, skinflint soul to feed into the woodstove. Plus, that runout is a weak spot that can fail disastrously. Also stacked heals and scarfed pegheads do not bother me aesthetically. But what about this idea: How about a compromise? A scarfed headstock to a one piece neck and heel? This would seem to solve the runout problem AND the do away with the stacked heel look PLUS saving some wood. I have never done this, but maybe that would satisfy both schools of thought. Just a thought...
 
Let me say that I do not think a one pice neck indicates quality - most classical guitar build up their necks. It is a different approach and despite using perfectly quartered wood and the best glues you will always see the joint- I have skills and I have done it like this so I know what I am talking about. Taylor gets neck failure most frequently at these 'potential fail' points. Admittedly, their joint is very clever. However, a spliced neck joint is only going to be really strong if a head plate and backstrap are used. Remember - making is not a spitting contest. It's simply different stores for different folks. I happen to have piles of 'bought at the right price' 10/4 khaya mahogany squares. What is important with stuff like this is what you do with the off-cuts...
 
I personally prefer printer2's choice. A scarfed headstock using modern adhesives (or even time proven HHG) is stronger than a one-piece joint. A well done stacked heel (from a strictly visual perspective) is harder to do well than a one-piece heel. Combining the one piece heel with the scarfed headstock produces less waste (of an increasingly less available resource), with no downside I see. "Quality" is more smart design and use of materials, rather than just sticking to "how our forefathers did it", in a very different time.
 
I'm not a luthier but I am with you all on the stacked necks and scarfed headstocks. A one piece neck is a reflection of quality in my opinion.

No it isn't. It just means that it's been made from one piece and not jointed. If anything joined pieces are more expensive because of the extra labour. I don't see what quality has to do with it though. I've seen very few failures of joined heads and the few that I have were either poorly joined in the first instance or they had taken a severe knock. Even more expensive is the V joint, which makes a feature of the neck/head transition. Pretty much all instruments were made of the V joint up until about 1850.
 
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