Wood Stability

[Pieter Gaskin]

Lately I have been "playing" around with building my first custom bass(yes this is STRICTLY a hobby and I am NO ONE'S builder).I have mostly assembled kits and done a few small repairs.

I noticed with a three piece laminated neck blank that I have had glued up for around 5 years that the laminates all seem to bend to the left as I sight down the blank.Of course when flipped over they go the opposite way:rolleyes: .

This maple I purchased raw and not dried and was left to sit for a year in my cellar.Is there anything I should look for when purchasing material that will help me avoid these twists and turns?I am assuming this billet is headed for the woodstove........well after I practice cutting an angled headstock;) .
Pete

PS.
Thanks Ken for helping my Mom with her Father's Day order for the video/t-shirt and polish.I really enjoyed the video!!!!

[Ken Smith]

First off, at what stage in the dry/wetness of the wood did you glue the 3 pieces together?

As a rule, we cut wood when it has dried unless it is for Body Tops (un-split). Then we keep them flat stacked until dry and needed.

For Necks, after the wood is dry (we usually buy only KD hard maple) we flat stack the lumber for a long time (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/ft/lumbersection/lumber.html) of at least a year to acclimate in he building.

Then we cut over-sized lengths that we will need for either bolt-on or neck-thru billets. The pieces are again flat stacked for a long time, sometimes several years but at least one year as a rule.

Then we pull the lengths needed to make the billets and machine them and glue up what even number of billets we need to replenish our stock. These billets will sit again for at least 1-2 years on average flat stacked in a lumber rack in the carving room (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/ft/lumbersection/billets.html).

Then, when we need to make the Necks for Basses in a run, we pull the billets from the rack, machine them just over-sized and then lay them on edge for a day or two to watch for any adverse movement.

If at any stage from Lumber to thicknessed billet we see any time of warp at all, the Billets/Wood is scraped at that time and will not be used as a Neck.

Material is relatively cheap as compared to Labor. If the material is bad, scrap it. It's cheaper in the long run.

How stable is wood? I'm still working on an answer..lol

On the Video, do you see any future for me as an Actor?:confused:

[Tim Bishop]

On the Video, do you see any future for me as an Actor?:confused:


Ken, please keep your day job! :D

[Pieter Gaskin]

Well it's pretty clear that I glued the pieces while the wood was too wet.The boards were stacked flat in my house for about a year then glued.The neck blank was not actually cut out for about 5 years.I will take your advice and stick with kiln dried lumber,however my source(as seen in the thread with the tiger maple) makes me wonder how dry the wood is.I guess I will have to buy the tool to check the moisture content.The wood used on the warped neck blank was from a local sawmill......completely raw.If you like I will send you the link to my local supplier and you can tell me what you think.
As far as acting goes...........I would have thought you would make a great Spokesmodel LOL!!!!! Only kidding of course!!My wife got a kick out of your accent.She is originally from L.I.
I know you were pressed for time in the video,but I would have liked to see more on the neck construction.
Thanks again for your time.I am fascinated with wood and it's properties.
Pete

[Ken Smith]

We shot about two hours of video but the TV company cut it down to an hour for the cable show (PCN). My accent you say? I have an accent?.. lol..

On the wood, regardless of how it is dried, it must be fully dry before anything is cut. Making smaller pieces in length and width only helps if the wood is stable. Planing out warp is also not a good idea as the wood may continue to 'creep' over time.

If what I/we do was so easy, I would have been out of business a long time ago. It takes great care and patience to make instruments over and over and over again while keeping the quality consistent regardless of the all the temptations to 'speed things up'!

[Dennis Michaels]

...And that my friends is why Ken Smith Basses are the bomb.