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I am into the groove with carving my neck heel for the cittern I am building...and I am keen to continue working on the neck, shaping it to width at the nut and 16 fret body join, profiling the shaft, and the headstock...

Is there any reason why I should not carry on working on my neck (not MY neck, if you know what I mean ) even though I haven't started on the body yet due to abysmal humidity probs....a very leaky roof that the builders are gonna fix soon. Man, we have had some bad weather here!!!! 70MPH winds and torrential rain for two days' running.

boy, I waffle...

So, apart from glueing on the fretboard and drilling for tuners, can I complete the neck whilst I am waiting for more clement humidity? I don't want to surge on and forget any other considerations...



Sam Price39093.4561111111

I don't see where that would be any problem. Just keep it climate controled.

Sam,

You can keep working on the neck - including finishing the headstock and drilling for the tuners. If you are doing a M&T bolt on or dove-tail then you need to bear in mind that the part of the neck that joins to the body can't really be finished until the body is done - don't do things there that leave you with no wriggle room later. I'd be inclined to work on/store the neck as much as possible indoors where the humidity is more likely to be in the 40-50% range though.Dave White39093.4638310185

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Thanks Paul..

Thanks Dave, I have been keeping an eye on the neck's straightness. Sam Price39093.4694097222

Sam,

Some second thoughts . . . be careful with the neck shaping without the fingerboard on. I don't usually shape until the fingerboard is glued on and I don't glue it on until I have got the neck-body fit sorted.

If you shape the neck first, the fingerboard will have to fit PEFECTLY and be glued accordingly - tricky.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

[QUOTE=Dave White] Sam,

Some second thoughts . . . be careful with the neck shaping without the fingerboard on. I don't usually shape until the fingerboard is glued on and I don't glue it on until I have got the neck-body fit sorted.

If you shape the neck first, the fingerboard will have to fit PEFECTLY and be glued accordingly - tricky.[/QUOTE]

Yep, thats something to keep in mind...

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Sam, I usually carve my necks virtually completely before I start the body, it's one of those jobs I really like. However, I don't do it all in one go and I only work with wood that has been stable for a long time. Even then, when you carve chunks off of a piece of wood it can then move which if you do it all at once often leaves no room for adjustment. Though if like me you have the carbon rods glued in, it's unlikely to move much!

I say I do it virtually completely. I leave it a millimetre or so wide on each side until I have the fingerboard glued in place. then I shape them together to the final profile.

But as Dave says, the headstock is fully shaped and drilled for the tuners.

Colin

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