I think I was very stupid! Please confirm :)

[Toddler]

I've been getting set to glue up a second guitar neck, which is a laminate of 5 thin boards.
Then I cut out the shape to give two neck through the body guitar neck blanks.

I was told quarter sawn lumber would be stronger, but if I take 5 quarter sawn thin boards, and laminate them, my end grain lines are perpendicular to my bending stress direction.

I just realized that, and now think this is backwards. If I want the neck as stiff and strong as possible, since the strips will shown on the front of the guitar, should I be laminating thin flat sawn lumber?

Todd

 

[Toddler]

I'm replying to this because I messed up posting and didn't want to have a one sentence post up for too long.

Anyway, to clarify, if I laminate 5 1"x1/2" boards to make a guitar neck blank that is 1" thick and 2 1/2" wide, to make it as strong and stiff as possible, am I correct that I should cut my stips from flatsawn lumber, and that quartersawn is the wrong one to use?

Thanks,

Todd

 

[DaveO]

Wood is going to split easiest with the grain. In your case you do have the grain running with the direction of the force that would be applied to it. But because you have laminated several strips together, of different woods, those grain lines aren't going to run in-line with each other, so I would think that the likelyhood of splitting along the grain is greatly decreased. In other words you have staggered your grain, like mortar joints in brick work.
Dave

 

[Toddler]

So I'm better off than if I'd used a single flatsawn piece, but if I'd laminated 5 flatsawn pieces, I'd have created a stronger neck because it would have wound up like a "mortar joint" quartersawn beam.

Is that correct?

Todd

 

[DaveO]

Yes, I think that you are better off, than using a single flat sawn piece. But you would be slightly better if you had laminated flat sawn strips. But I also think that you are over thinking it. The difference isn't gonna result in neck failure. I think that the way you've done it is quite strong, and you won't have any problems.
Dave

 

[Toddler]

Thanks DaveO.
That's reassuring.
Todd

 

[dtomasch]

yeah, what dave said. You are definately in the clear with your glue up.

 

[NCPete]

check your hands, are they completely intact? your eyes??? no new electrical burns??? If those bits check out okay... you weren't very stupid!

 

[Toddler]

All body parts remain intact, thanks for putting it back in perspective.
Todd

 

[NCPete]

looking forward to pics of your guitar!


I get mine in those kits that come pre-assembled! :lol: and I know at least two cords!

 

[woodrat]

looking forward to pics of your guitar!


I get mine in those kits that come pre-assembled! :lol: and I know at least two cords!

Hey NCPete,

Should that be "chords" in place of "cords"? :BangHead:

I'm with you as I think I know 2 also, maybe 3. :icon_thum

It might be interesting to see how many guitar pickers
are on ncwoodworker.net. Whatcha think?

Woodrat

 

[Toddler]

I only play with a guitar. Once, half a lifetime ago, I played a little bit.

The guitar I'm working on now is for my 5 y/o son. It has a steel Martin style truss rod under an ebony fingerboard, so with a 17" scale, it will be fine even with medium or heavy electric guitar strings.

My concern was really more for the next guitar, which I'm laying up the wood for. Didn't want to mess up the full sized version. Glad I realized my error early.

Sadly, I now have several 1/4" thick 3"x42" quartersawn boards in exotic woods. I'll probably joint some together and make my wife and daughter simple jewelery boxes.

Todd

 

[Travis Porter]

Todd, I am curious. When I have watched Hand Made Music on DIY, they always cut the necks out of solid wood and say glue on fret boards. Why are you doing glue ups, different style or something?

 

[Toddler]

Most mass produced guitars and many others as well are made just as you said, and 99.8% of the time that's fine if you are careful about humidity and temperature.

I am laminating several boards to create that back part of the neck. I also reverse the grain as I resaw a board and use it as two pieces of the neck. Then I'm gluing a fingerboard over it when the truss rod is installed.

By using laminates for the neck you decrease the risk it will twist or warp and the stripes look nice on the back of the neck. Also on the front since I'm doing neck through the body style electrics.

My mistake was not realizing that while quartersawn boards are probably better for the one piece neck you described, when I took 4 quartersawn boards (well, 4 quarter sawn and one flat sawn), and laminated them to make the neck "back", I turned the boards 90 degrees. That put the quartersawn growth ring orientation into a flat sawn orientation. Ooops

Luckily I still have a 1/4" maple laminate with the right orientation, and as DaveO and others pointed out, it's probably ok anyway. I just don't want to make that mistake on the full sized guitar I'm going to work on after my son's half size.

Todd