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OK, question: I'm sawing up a nicely flatsawn board of American Walnut for a neck blank, basically ripping and flipping. Straight-grained stuff, it's in the rough, and I'll probably trim and sqaure it off tomorrow, but I'm having a few doubts.

The thing is, the block's fairly 'warped', but symmetrically so. It's got some sapwood to it as well, and I'm going to use that as a feature. I'll just be planing it all square and flat, since that seems like the safest bet, but I did notice the saw was binding while I cut into it; basically, the kerf wanted to close up a tiny bit. That make me nervous about tension that might be present in the wood (reaction wood?) and that's not something I want in a neck that's going to need quite a bit of carving before it's done! The plan was to make a 5-piece laminate (walnut/.125" wenge/.5"maple/.125" wenge/walnut) out of the whole thing, but now I'm not sure the wood's up for it.

If I plane and square it off, and then let it sit for about a month (I have at least that much time before I get around to this guitar, really), and it stays stable, will that be OK? Or should I go looking for a 'safer' piece of Walnut to work with? Block only cost me about 10 bucks, but it was the nicest piece they had at the time..

I would make sure the grain is opposing so that any tendency to warp will be fought by opposing grain. I would also wait a lot longer than a month...but that's just me. Bob C is the man for this question...

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

I would let the wood set uncut for at least 6 months to a year before cutting. Also measure the moisture level and be sure it is where it should be before strating the clock.

If it's warped lengthwise, I'd say you were asking for trouble. If it's cupped, you could flatten it.

After my totally non-guitar experiences yesterday, I'd say find a new neck.

Walnut sapwood has the interesting property that it will darken up over time. Depends on your time frame as to how interesting it will be.

The wood's well dried (kiln and been lying around at the woodyard up the road for a good 4 years at the very minimum, possibly more), and I figured I'd cut it up and plane it to size because any additional movement (ie, any reaction wood present) would show up at that point. If it moves, it's outta there.

It'll probably be another 4 months before I really need to start working on the neck. Probably let it sit, and glue up another neck blank in the meatime. Still, if it doesn't move after it's been trimmed down to size and left alone, unstickered for 4-6 months, should it be OK?

The sapwood thing is just because it matches the sapwood present in the back and sides of the set I've got, little else.

Pittman is right about letting builtup necks cure. I have some which were made up a couple years back with a maple stripe in Mahogany.

The maple stripe cured more than the Honduran Mahogany allowing shrinkage. By letting it cure all that time, when the thing is sanded out after final shaping it should stay flush. IF this had been used soon after glueup it would have caused a dip at the maple. Word to the wise....

I think Ryan lets his necks cure for quite some time maybe two years after they are cut out to become his blanks. Sure avoids warpage problems due to the wood itself.Dickey38437.6000578704