Neck carving, the fun and fast way

I started to shape a couple of mahogany neck blanks today. After several hours spent baking traditional Swedish christmas buns I managed to sneak off to the workshop, the neck blanks were roughed out on the bandsaw, and the top surfaces were planed. So it was the rest of the shaping process that remained.

When making the second cut I thought it would be fun to take some pics of the entire process, since my process is quite primitve (or simple, depending on who you ask).

First step:


From there I gained a bit of momentum. Things started to happen faster and faster.

Second step:


If you are interested, click on this url and you'll see all six posts that show I do it:
http://argapa.blogspot.com/search/label/Neck carving

When I checked now, it was 1 hour and 25 minutes between the first and the last post. I was lucky with a perfect grain direction, but I feel like Superhobbybuilder (the world's dorkiest superhero). But also in need of a new project.

BUT..! Do not miss the warning signs, you youngsters! See for yourself a manic hobby builder obsessing over knives and sharp blades. And despite all the gear already in the workshop I do have a saved, but not placed, order for more carving knives and scrapers. I mean, who can resist these?
http://metmusic.com/tools/knives/japanese-knives/29115/mini-knife-set-six-japanese-carving-knives/

As if I need them. But they're cute...

Thanks for reading / Sven

I'm working on a machine that is going to take me 5 - 10 minutes! More will be revealed when I have the parts from my MASTER....

What? No knives? You're crazy Pete...

Pete Howlett said:

I'm working on a machine that is going to take me 5 - 10 minutes! More will be revealed when I have the parts from my MASTER....

Click to expand...

I've already got my machine. A 6" X 48" belt sander. 5 to 10 minutes per neck. Small Shop Efficiency Master John Greven uses the same technique on his guitars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQIGFcCMVKo

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

I've already got my machine. A 6" X 48" belt sander. 5 to 10 minutes per neck. Efficiency Master John Greven uses the same technique on his guitars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQIGFcCMVKo

Click to expand...

Ah, no wonder all your necks feel slightly different!

Ronnie Aloha said:

Ah, no wonder all your necks feel slightly different!

Click to expand...

Whether you use a spokeshave, a file, or a sanding belt, variation will be there if that is your intention. If you wanted them all to be the same dimensions you can achieve that as well with the same tools. But if you are a custom builder why would you want all you necks to be the same? isn't that what a custom built instrument is about? Building to the customers specs? Everything is gauged on templates anyway. No need to be the same unless you want then to be. For some reason there is a lot of drama surrounding neck carving. All I'm saying, like most of the procedures we do, it can be as simple or as difficult as you choose to make it. Some guitar builders will use CNC machines, lasers and robotics to get the job done. The builders of Paracho will use little more than a jack knife, a rasp and a bow saw to accomplish the same thing. It's simply a matter of choosing the tools and techniques that fit who you are and your working style.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

Why would you want all you necks to be the same? isn't that what a custom built instrument is about? Building to the customers specs?

Click to expand...

But Chuck, (Insert large scale factory builder here) can build hundreds of identical necks per month with nothing but a robot and CNC?

I'm not criticizing any technique, as Chuck said everyone finds a method that works for them. I'm awfully satisfied that I made the two necks in just over an hour, not including blogging about it. Five to ten minutes is of course better for those of you who do this full time. But I love carving, and I don't like wood dust.

And my point that I'm fond of making when it comes to building is "it's not how you remove wood, it's the wood you choose to keep that makes music when you're done".

Sven

John's method!!! That is some skill there

I was very gratified to attend John Greven's presentation at the GAL convention last summer. I am with him, two main tools, the band saw and the 6x48 belt sander.

Brad

I think it shows a lot of skill to use hand tools. Hats off to you Sven.

Any chance of getting the recipe for your traditional Swedish christmas buns ?

Thanks! I almost lost faith there. It does take some of the fun out of posting, when you show something you're pleased with and the responses boil down to "BELTSANDER!"

I'll see if I can find that recipe in English. They're good with glögg, the Swedish glühwein.

Sven

Sven said:

Thanks! I almost lost faith there. It does take some of the fun out of posting, when you show something you're pleased with and the responses boil down to "BELTSANDER!"

I'll see if I can find that recipe in English. They're good with glögg, the Swedish glühwein.

Sven

Click to expand...

Thank you Sven,

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

Whether you use a spokeshave, a file, or a sanding belt, variation will be there if that is your intention. If you wanted them all to be the same dimensions you can achieve that as well with the same tools. But if you are a custom builder why would you want all you necks to be the same? isn't that what a custom built instrument is about? Building to the customers specs? Everything is gauged on templates anyway. No need to be the same unless you want then to be. For some reason there is a lot of drama surrounding neck carving. All I'm saying, like most of the procedures we do, it can be as simple or as difficult as you choose to make it. Some guitar builders will use CNC machines, lasers and robotics to get the job done. The builders of Paracho will use little more than a jack knife, a rasp and a bow saw to accomplish the same thing. It's simply a matter of choosing the tools and techniques that fit who you are and your working style.

Click to expand...

This is a very very interesting thread to lurk around on. I was wondering after having a go at my first neck if I was A) doing it right B) how you duplicate necks if youre mid to large scale custom builder. With the simple hand tools I had to work with I was shocked at how well it came out (even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again), and now seeing the real builders are using some of the same simple techniques and tools in their shops makes me feel good like at least Im not wasting my time.

I carve my necks by hand too Sven. Neck carving is one of the most enjoyable parts of building. I use an old Stanley spokeshave #67 and files and sandpaper and a scraper. I recently made a new neck holder based on the one you have. Of course I only build a couple of ukes a year, so carving a neck by hand works out well. If I was trying to make a living at it, I'd starve.

Again, this points ut the necessary differences in the working styles between the occasional builder and the professional builder who needs to pay the bills. As a more-than-full time builder, my eyes are always on the clock, looking for ways to achieve a better result in less time. Gone are the days when I could leisurely take my time at a task, being in the moment and enjoying every step. There are some parts of building that I enjoy more than others. I absolutely despise building necks (or bridges) so when I do so I'll rough out 40 or 50 of them at a time, doing the final shaping as I need them. A distinct advantage to this, aside from being efficient, is that the necks (all one piece) have some time to relax and be at rest before they are used since I've relieved them of most of the surrounding wood.
BTW, I do this will most of my "parts", braces, kerfings, etc. When I need a break from building I'll take a day and make parts that will last me a year. Doing so lets me work uninterrupted since I can just reach for a part rather than stop and retool. These methods are ones that I have honed throughout the years adjusting them to fit who I am, my working style and my expectations. Everyone will find the best way for themselves. There is nothing wrong with working with chisels or sandpaper or motorized equipment or CNC machines. At the end of the day we all have to live with ourselves and feel proud of what we do.

Yup, you're right Chuck. I work full time at the office and only build for laughs. And since my workshop is at my home I tend to choose methods that don't give me too much dust.

Every now and then I dream of quitting my current career and spend full days in the shop. But that would only happen after the winning lottery ticket, of the freak accident at the bank with a hefty and untraceable deposit to my account.

Well, I'm impressed Sven. Carving a neck from the roughed out blank will take me at least two hours, probably spread over a few days as I stare at it and wonder what to do next. But I only have a total of 12 necks under my belt so far - no doubt I will speed up a bit.

As an occasional/hobby builder I find the hardest part is taking off enough wood. I know I can't put it back on, so I'm inevitably over-cautious.

The heel is also much harder work than the rest, because I'm no longer working along the grain. Is this where the knives come into play? I rough-shape with a chisel and then continue with a half round rasp, but I wasn't brave enough to use a chisel until recently - rasp, only, before then.

This hilights the dilema of the craft - some things about this job suck. I love doing slotted headstocks. Every time I pick up that simple jig i happened upon (designed is the wrong word for an idea that came out of nowhere and has proved to work time and time again) and it takes me just 10 minutes to do I feel satisfied. However, like Chuck I no longer enjoy heel or neck carving. I like doing the volute with the tip of my razor sharp Sabatier knife but i want a quicker way to do all that boring stuff. It is a great privilege to do this work and Sven, you know you are a star and have cornered a specific market in the UK and Scandinavia. What you do with your limited workshop resources is great. The rest of us need to earn a crust so we have passed that prosaic stage in our careers. The great Roger Bucknall of Fylde guitars in the Uk when asked what he enjoyed about making (after 25 years in the business) laconically replied at the symposium we were both lecturing at, "Banking!" The questioner looked somewhat disappointed and i was amused because I had never considered that if this really was my full time job, then this is what it was about in real terms. Having fun is a perk and not the reason for building full time and anyone who says so has a trust fund or a wife/partner that works and supports the family income. Believe you me, banking is the true kick in this business!

Prof - after reading an article some years ago in Fine Woodworking about carving a claw and ball foot for a chair I now use a cabinet rasp, swordfish, 1st cut and 2nd cut files in that order to shape the heel by hand - not a knife in sight. The 2nd cut file gives a finish equivalent to 120 - 150 grit sandpaper in mahogany... you really must come to North Wales for a workshop where I can show you the so called mysteries of this business that will put you straight on some things and strip out the mythology that surrounds this craft.

If anyone following this thread thinks that using a 6x48 belt sander to shape a neck is easier than doing so by hand, you are mistaken. Faster yes, not really easier,for those of us that can do so, it is because we have spent hundreds of hours using that tool.

Brad