I've been using Poplar for my necks. How about Oak? What is the best if I have a choice?
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poplar is fine , oak is considered better and safer by some , from bowing etc .. but that's more so if you got a crappy piece of poplar .. plus i have also heard horror stories about oak bowing alot and drastically.
poplar is easier to work with ,, oak can be pretty slivery and needleish requiring a ton of sanding ,, even messing up your finish or poking through days later .
oak also adds weight to the neck . you will see most poplar neck cbgs will sit level on a floor ( on the bottom "side " of the box ) without propping up the neck with a slide or something for a photo . thus balanced better .
so ,... i'ts a coin toss, ..
but a longer scale past 25.5 ,, or fatter strings , or even frets ... may make one consider oak.
save for those reasons .. i think its overkill.
Oak is less likely to bow but is harder to work.You could always try using a mixture of both!
I use Oak,meranti,beech,poplar and others in various combinations. I just laminate them. Usually I use 3,5 or 7 3-5 mm lengths glues together. You get the strength you need,little chance of any bowing and a smart finish. Plus, it`s easy to shape slim pieces using a spokeshave prior to glueing.
Another bonus is that you can often go to a wood yard and get slim off cuts for next to nothing!
I recently got 5x2 metre lengths of oak,5 of beech,4 meranti and 2 iroko (perfect for fretboards) they were all between 4-6 mm and I got them for next to nothing.
I'm another oak fan, it's a tricky wood to work with, but it is strong. I use a separate fretboard on my builds glued on with the grain running in opposite direction to the neck. Ask for quarter sawn timber if you can as it will resist bowing for longer. I highly recommend rubbing in some Rustin's Neutral Grain Filler after your first pass of fine sanding - oak has a very open grain so it's tricky to get a smooth finish without.
Hi Ken,
If you use primarily hand tools, then poplar is a better choice (easier to work), but if you have access to powered woodworking tools (table saws, band saws, router tables, sanders, drill presses, etc.), then oak is a good choice. I like red oak as the color of the wood and grain is much prettier than poplar. So, when I'm in the States and have access to our wood-working club's power tools, I'll build using red oak. In China, I use just hand tools, so I generally work in cherry, sapelli, and red beech (which I uses as the core to my necks & head stocks with cherry or sapelli laminated to either side and to form the sound box). These woods are easier to work with and readily available though the various "Mom-and-Pop" wood supply stores around here.
-Rand.
Hi. I'm new to CBG building. I also use hand tools. I have been use a coping saw. It sure took a long time to cut the wood. Is there another cutting tool that you use that is faster and or easier. Thank you.
For what kind of cutting? Frets? or just general sawing? My go-to saw is a Stanley Miter Box saw... bought it at home depot years ago for cutting trim... with the miter box, it makes quick work of shortening a neck.
I also use it to cut grooves 3/4" apart, then use a chisel to rough out the opening for the box and slim down the head.
When I first started hobby woodworking I bought myself a Gyokucho double bladed razorsaw (Japanese). Pretty sure these are available in the US as well. As they cut on the pull stroke they are quite forgiving for a beginner, so accuracy is easier to achieve. Agreed with John - use a chisel and invest the time to learn how to sharpen it well - it will pay off hugely!
I am lucky that the Home Depot by me has maple 1x2s available. I don't really care for poplar due to the coloring, but it is easy to work with. The oak I find is usually warped or bowed, so I have to do some work on them if I want to use them for a neck.
Ditto with Dan. I used oak in the early years, but splinters, horribly irritating dust, and heavy. I get lucky once in a while at local lumber store with maple, and get some with lots of figuring.
Ditto with Dan. I used oak in the early years, but splinters, horribly irritating dust, and heavy. I get lucky once in a while at local lumber store with maple, and get some with lots of figuring.
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