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Yes, but ...

I'm just using it to get to a uniform thickness, after rough sawing to size on a bandsaw. I can see building a carriage with a 2mm taper to get that last little bit, but so far I'm just going for the thickest part.

More tips may be found in Benedetto's book? He's obviously a Wagner fan.

Jim Kirby

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Hesh,

I use the Wagner before I put the fretboard on, but maybe my method would work with it on too.

I spot glue a popsicle stick to the fretboard-side of the neck at the nut location, then I turn the neck over. The popsicle stick is about the same thickenss as the taper I'm looking for, so the popsicle stick lifts the nut end of the neck up off the drill press table by the amount of the taper. I then use the Wagner to plane the backside of the neck until it is the right thickenss all the way along the neck. Pop off the popsicle stick, and it's ready to shape.

Does that make sense?

I made a wedge with the correct taper and stick it on with double-stick tape. Make a pencil line down the center of the back of the neck as you carve it after thicknessing so you won't take it down any further.

Hesh'ster -- only thing I can add is suggesting rather than double side taping your neck blank to the taper board -- permanently glue a neck stop to one end of the board. Also insert a couple of dowels in the centre of your board to register in your truss rod slot.

Draw a pencil line just proud of your desired thickness.
When you are removing stock -- take light passes -- it'll be a lot smoother when you are done.

With all that I am miffed with myself for going to all the effort of making a tapered board when Kelby has the quickest/simplest way to do it -- popsicle stick -- doh -- why didn't I think of that.

I just tapered a neck the other night using my wagner -- works like a champ. You can also use the wagner to thickness plane the back of your headstock.

what I did was to shim under the board my neck sat on, then taper the board with the wagner. remove the shim and route the top for a guide block that would sit into the truss rod groove, add a stop and there it is. Just pop the neck on and get the same taper every time. Didn't take long to make and its permanent.
Mike

Don't forget to clamp a stop on the fence so that you don't accidentally plane up into the headstock. Yep, double side a piece of wood under the nut position as well.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

[QUOTE=Kelby] Hesh,

I use the Wagner before I put the fretboard on, but maybe my method would work with it on too.

I spot glue a popsicle stick to the fretboard-side of the neck at the nut location, then I turn the neck over. The popsicle stick is about the same thickenss as the taper I'm looking for, so the popsicle stick lifts the nut end of the neck up off the drill press table by the amount of the taper. I then use the Wagner to plane the backside of the neck until it is the right thickenss all the way along the neck. Pop off the popsicle stick, and it's ready to shape.

Does that make sense?[/QUOTE]

Ooh, I like that - I think I'll go back and fix up the one I did last night

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu