Shaping necks, finished

So the other one is done as well. Even faster since I didn't bother with pics. (But I did use my 12/36 mm Ibex finger plane with the curved sole on the back of the headstock. Sorry for not ranting about that one!)

Now they just need some sanding.

And this was to be a project, this neck carving documentary. I didn't mean it to end this fast. What am I supposed to think of now?

Shaping necks, final steps

Finishing touch with the neck held in hand. This small knife is also of Swedish steel, a carving knife that I made even shorter by grinding away the back end of the blade down to the width of the tang, before I made the handle. This is a trick I learnt from my beloved wife.

The edge is ground straight on both sides, with no second bevel. Cuts clean and exactly how I want it.

Shaping necks, back of the headstock

I won't say I wouldn't want a gizmo for sanding it to thickness, but my Little Victor plane and the Mother of All Chisels does the trick quickly.

Since I use wooden violin pegs on my ukes I don't worry about the the sides being absolutely parallell - and I quite fancy the tapered headstocks on vintage ukes. On them the tip of the headstock is very thin.

Shaping necks, carving

A few minutes with the spokeshave, and then an old Swedish carpet knife (curved, on the right) and a Hock violin knife.

It's nearly done!

These posts have gone out in real time, with a break to play piano with Li.

Shaping necks, cont.

After the two slanted cuts I put the neck-to-be in the carving jig and go at it with the mini spoke shave.

Li makes sure it looks big.

Shaping necks, for the concerts

This is how I shape my necks initially. The small wedge is there to show the cut. I'll post a few more pics of the later stages on these ones.

Shaping the contour

Small plane - check.

Messy bench - check.

Small wonderful shavings - check.

This pic has all you can ask for. Plus it shows how I shape the profile of the rim on one of the mahogany concerts.

Neck blanks trued

Ten minutes with a sharp and properly adjusted low angle block plane, and I have flat crisp surfaces on the concert neck blanks. They've been measured and marked, soon I can start carving them.

With the sharp knives etc etc. Did I mention those before..?

Figure? Curl?!

What's this? I can't believe it.

Hooray!

Splitting the alder log

After reading a bit further about drying and resawing, I decided to get things going a bit faster.

Concert progress

Now before you say anything, I know it looks like shit. And I know the workshop looks like this in all my pictures. But no matter what it looks like, the concert soundboards are braced with really nice spruce braces and another reso skeleton got clad. With cherry sides this time.

Next up, some overdue cleaning up.