First pieces have to be cut from a solid block and glued up in a formation that allows space for the heel block and the headstock. I made the cuts for this using a handsaw as I didn't want to dull the blade on the bandsaw too much.
After the pieces have been cut from the neck blank make sure their faces are completely flat so they are flush with each other when you glue them together. I regretted not spending enough time on this stage and so there are some small gaps on the heel block. You can flatten them using a block plane or/and a cabinet scraper. You can get cabinet scrapers off ebay for about £3 ($4.8) and I found this to be an incredibly useful tool.
Once the pieces have been glued up the rough profile of the neck needs to be cut out. I did this on my band saw but it can be done with hand saws ( I did it when I built my ukulele) it just takes a lot longer.
The rough profile of the neck being cut out:
Now the neck needs to be shaped. I did this using a variety of rasps and chisels. The rasp was useful for taking a lot of material off quickly and the chisels were used for shaping more delicately in areas like the heel block.
The initial shaping:
After a couple of hours work:
I'll work more on the heel block and the headstock later on
No comments:
Post a Comment