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This Maple any good for necks????
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Author:  strato [ Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:23 pm ]
Post subject:  This Maple any good for necks????
Hi and Hello from the U.K.
New to the forum and first post so here goes.
Recently decided to give building a couple of strats a go and although I'm new to guitar building I've been amatuer woodworking for years.
I've acquired quite a lump of Canadian white Hard Maple and was hoping to get a few neck blanks out of it but wanted your opinions before I do anything with it.
The piece of timber is 37"x8.25"x2.5" hopefully you can see in the photos the grain is really tight and straight except for a couple of small sections where the grain curls very slightly which brings me to my question...
Is it any good for neck blanks,I've check with a template and those areas cant be missed either they will run into the headstock,first fret area or the heel.
Its very slight but would Leo F have cared??
Any opinions welcomed,Eddie
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Author:  Mike Baker [ Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This Maple any good for necks????
Looks fine to me. I'd use it.
As for curl, I've seen(and built) necks with highly figured/curly maple. I know a lot of luthiers say that this wood is not as stable as straight-grained maple, and they are probably right. But I have one here on a P bass neck that's just as straight as an arrow, and others have used the curly maple with good success. So preference figures in as well, I would think.
Besides, that piece of wood has very little curl to it anyway. I'd go ahead if I were you.
Author:  nyazzip [ Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This Maple any good for necks????
i would use it, unless i knew the wood was sawn just recently, then i'd like to let it sit around for awhile to see if it wants to twist or warp. sometimes wood will warp around a knot, with the knot as the "epicenter"
also you could rip the boards down into 3/4" strips, and laminate them together(grain opposite) to greatly increase stability(but increase the milling headaches due to grain running every which way)
Author:  theguitarwhisperer [ Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This Maple any good for necks????
Usually if there's curl near where a branch might have been, there's possible tension in the wood. I'd leave that part out of the shaft.
I'm talking about that one closeup of the round grain lines.
Author:  alan stassforth [ Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: This Maple any good for necks????
If it were mine,
I'd cut it closer to what I want the size to be,
and let it sit for a while,
To see if it twists.
If you rip it on a tablesaw,
see if it binds or bends during and after the cut.
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