Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on November 26, 2010 at 5:44am

I make most of my necks with 1x2 red oak, and it is tough to find one perfectly straight. I usually wind up clamping it to my work table with blocks under each end to help straighten it out. Then I build it so it will be strung so the string tension will help hold it from bowing again.

Not sure this is right, but it's the way I do it.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on November 26, 2010 at 6:26am

Depending on how bad the bow is you can try to flatten it with a plane, or a large piece of sand paper glued down to a flat surface.

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Permalink Reply by Doctor Steve on November 26, 2010 at 7:17am

Yeah, definitely build against the bow.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on November 26, 2010 at 7:25am

This is what I was talking about.

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Permalink Reply by Doctor Steve on November 26, 2010 at 7:29am

Nice Dan. Thanks for posting. That would help when there is *too* much back bow, so that strings fret out (action too low). You are known for builds with nice low action, this must be part of your success.

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Permalink Reply by pi_r_squared on November 27, 2010 at 3:30pm

Depends on a few things......

How many/which strings? (more or heavier strings can pull a slight bow out and leave it really nice.....but it's "trial and error".

fretted or slide? (fretted, try to let the strings pull the bow out, if it's not too severe, to play slide without frets, I might do the opposite)

I was going to mess around and see if I could "adjust the bow" with a steam iron, maybe try it with a dry iron first, might work, not sure though, need to get an extra piece of maple and see if I can make it "move".

good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Doctor Steve on November 27, 2010 at 4:38pm

Would be interesting to see the combination of Dan's blocks-and-clamp plus steam/heat.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Dubman on November 29, 2010 at 4:46pm

Straighten by gluing on a separate fingerboard -- clamp both to the flattest thing you have
in your shop, like a cast iron tablesaw wing or jointer bed (after laying down a sheet of
plastic to protect your iron from rust!). You could just leave it bowed away from the
strings (meaning string is highest above 12th fret) and play it with a slide. Worry more
about having fun with your first build.

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