DeepSouthBanjo - Posted - 02/10/2011:  19:42:22

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anyone know where I can get a Cherry or walnut or maple blank for a neck?I need it to be 30"x3"x3"..I've tryed looking everywhere and all I can find are 2"x's...

beegee - Posted - 02/10/2011:  20:29:40

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There are a bunch of them for sale on ebay. 3 x 3 x 31 walnut, cherry and a beautiful piece o 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 40 tiger maple.
just search walnut, cherry or maple lumber 3 x 3

Bonuscup98 - Posted - 02/10/2011:  20:37:43

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Just a side question: Is this a nominal 3x3 or an actual 3x3?

Sgtp3pp3r - Posted - 02/10/2011:  21:16:58

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Why does it have to be a one-piece blank? Much easier to make one up out of two pieces each one 1-1/2" thick - or you can add a third piece of contrasting wood as a center stripe. You'll have a more stable neck that way.

--Steve

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Edited by - Sgtp3pp3r on 02/10/2011 21:17:27

DeepSouthBanjo - Posted - 02/10/2011:  21:41:50

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sgtp3pp3r

Why does it have to be a one-piece blank? Much easier to make one up out of two pieces each one 1-1/2" thick - or you can add a third piece of contrasting wood as a center stripe. You'll have a more stable neck that way.

--Steve

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I was planing on making it with just hand tools.That's why I was thinking 1 piece would be easier.Would I need to put a coordinator rod in for a 2 piece neck?I've never done any kind of woodworking/instrument building before..

beegee - Posted - 02/10/2011:  22:01:20

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You mean a truss rod. Truss rods can be very useful. With either a solid neck or a laminated neck, you should use a truss rod unless you're making an old-timey mountain banjo. How limited are your tools? A truss rod slot can be cut with a router or table saw, but you do it with a mortising chisel.

DeepSouthBanjo - Posted - 02/10/2011:  22:19:25

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Well..I don't have much,just basics,planning on getting some this coming week.Is there a basic list of the things I'll need?Planers?sanders?chisels?hand'saws?

mike gregory - Posted - 02/11/2011:  04:12:47

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Welcome to the HangOut, and the wonderful world of Do-It-Yourself banjo making.

One way to flatten a neck, without using a planer, is to get a belt sander belt, cut it open, and tack it to a very flat board.
Clamp the board to a table, and push-pull the neck along it until it's flat.
If you're using an electric hand drill, there's a tool called a rotary rasp, which is very good for grinding the back of the neck to a more rounded shape, after the preliminary sawing.

Are you planning to string it up with steel, or nylon?
Truss rod is not as important with nylon strings, but it's still advisable.

mojo_monk - Posted - 02/11/2011:  05:51:38

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quote:

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Originally posted by beegee

There are a bunch of them for sale on ebay. 3 x 3 x 31 walnut, cherry and a beautiful piece o 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 40 tiger maple.
just search walnut, cherry or maple lumber 3 x 3

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I've also been looking decent pieces of wood to carve necks from, so I did the ebay search and you're right - there are lots of good options for 3 x 3 x 31 turning blanks. However, this is what the seller has to say about them (red flag?):

. . . Please note that the grain may not run perfectly straight along the length and will most likely not be absolutely perpendicular to the face. In fact the grain might be running completely diagonal to the face. . . .

Are these suitable for making instrument necks???


-Sean

rudy - Posted - 02/11/2011:  05:55:57

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Hi DeepSouth,
You might want to check the links on my hangout homepage for home building info. There's also a "Home Brewers" group that has been started here on the hangout that you might be interested in.

dat - Posted - 02/11/2011:  09:21:31

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check with these people, I buy a lot of stuff from them, nice folks

hardwoodbarn.com/

Phone:
903 822-4113
Fax:
903 822-3708


You can also contact us
via email at:
info@hardwoodbarn.com

Sgtp3pp3r - Posted - 02/11/2011:  13:08:01

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quote:

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I was planing on making it with just hand tools.That's why I was thinking 1 piece would be easier.Would I need to put a coordinator rod in for a 2 piece neck?I've never done any kind of woodworking/instrument building before..

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You can make up the blank from planks that you pre-purchase, leaving a channel for the truss rod like this:



Get planks that are flat-sawn, and orient the grain on the two outside pieces so they mirror each other. The center piece should be the thickness needed to make the slot the same width as the truss rod assembly (usually about 1/4") and make the slot the correct depth for the truss rod as well. I use double-action truss rods from WD Music, which require a 1/4" wide by 3/8" deep truss rod channel.

--Steve

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Edited by - Sgtp3pp3r on 02/11/2011 13:09:23

Jonnycake White - Posted - 02/12/2011:  20:30:03

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quote:

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Originally posted by mojo_monk

quote:

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Originally posted by beegee

There are a bunch of them for sale on ebay. 3 x 3 x 31 walnut, cherry and a beautiful piece o 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 40 tiger maple.
just search walnut, cherry or maple lumber 3 x 3

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I've also been looking decent pieces of wood to carve necks from, so I did the ebay search and you're right - there are lots of good options for 3 x 3 x 31 turning blanks. However, this is what the seller has to say about them (red flag?):

. . . Please note that the grain may not run perfectly straight along the length and will most likely not be absolutely perpendicular to the face. In fact the grain might be running completely diagonal to the face. . . .

Are these suitable for making instrument necks???


-Sean

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Suitable is a relative term. Lots of commercial instruments are made with wood that wouldn't be suitable for a custom-built high-end instrument.

If you are worried about the grain and are equipped with a saw adequate for ripping that thickness of wood, rip it down the center, flip one piece over, joint the wood, and glue it back together, possibly with a contrasting veneer sandwiched between for a center stripe. That will help it be more stable.

mhickler - Posted - 02/13/2011:  05:13:28

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A helpful term for internet or ebay searches is "turning square."