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Oak Flooring for neck?

I am starting to form some leftover tongue & groove oak flooring into a neck. After planing it into a rough rectangle it is a tad wider and a 1/16" or so less deep than a 1x2.. My skills are not so very good, so when I say 'rough' rectangle that's exactly what it is. But I like the 'found object' aspect so away we go. Someone must have already done this... any words of wisdom from the Tribe?

Also: when I look at the end of a piece and I see the tongue I wonder if it could be sawn in such a way as to make the tongue a bridge??

Hopefully this illustrates what I mean. Is oak tough enough to handle string tension on a 3-banger?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott aka Farmer Ted on February 24, 2015 at 3:27pm

Yes, yes, and yes.

Permalink Reply by QGolden on February 24, 2015 at 3:43pm

Great idea, I have often thought of trying to find flooring ends from job sites. I salvaged a broken table from behind an Antique Store once, provided lots of vintage oak for lots of projects.... Keep us posted....

Permalink Reply by Stephen Stocker on February 24, 2015 at 4:45pm

Great idea for bridge.

Permalink Reply by Bama Hound on February 25, 2015 at 1:24am

My opinion on using the cut off end is the grain of the wood is running the wrong way. strings will cut into the end grain. Oak is hard enough but if it were mine I would cut a piece off of where the tongue fits in, or the tongue. That way your grain is running lengthwise.

Permalink Reply by QGolden on February 25, 2015 at 1:52am

Hmm, good point. Lots of Dulcimer Makers use Bone for bridges. Boiled clean bone is available at many pet store outlets. You could use the other end of the flooring and insert a piece of Bone into the groove? Don't breath the dust when cutting bone.

Permalink Reply by Shawn on February 25, 2015 at 2:51am

I agree with Bama Hound. I am making a license plate 3 stringer out of hickory flooring right now. Best of luck on your build!

Permalink Reply by T-Gripped on March 3, 2015 at 12:38pm

Thanks to all for the input!!

Permalink Reply by T-Gripped on May 17, 2015 at 3:01pm

Permalink Reply by T-Gripped on May 17, 2015 at 3:03pm

Here is a pic of the floorboard neck. I ended up using a traditional bolt for the bridge. The volume/tone seemed better to my ear than the hardwood tongue.

Permalink Reply by QGolden on May 17, 2015 at 3:12pm

Nice job! That really looks good.

Permalink Reply by robin on May 24, 2015 at 9:27pm

Very good question - using flooring for the neck. I am in the process of modifying an old wooden cutlery box to a proportionate size to make a 4 string CBG - neck construction was the next issue I had. Dutch no longer. Thanks guys, very help full.

Permalink Reply by gary sheldon on May 20, 2015 at 8:55am

1 X 2 refers to the unplaned (sawn) dimension. Typically, the neck dimensions of a CBG are 1 1/2 X 3/4. The top side needs to be very straight. I have successfully used 1 X 2 (actual 1 1/2 X 3/4 ) Oak flooring, but not T&G. I was not clear on the actual dimension of your wood.

Cutting the end tongue from a T&G piece will give you a piece of end grain wood, which is not really strong and may give you problems Oak is fine for a bridge, but have the grain running along the length, not across..