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I built a neck blank a few years ago. It's a laminated mahogany and purple heart blank. I really like the way it looks. It was stable and perfectly square when I pulled it out. Then I cut the peg head and it decided to twist on me.

Is there a way to untwist it? I plan on inserting carbon fiber reinforcements, so hopefully if I can get it flat it will stay that way.

Or should I just cut my loses and get another blank? The guitar will be for me and not a customer.

If it twisted recently then I would wait awhile and see what happens as it acclimates. If it straightens out I would put the CF in but wait awhile and see what it does with RF changes.

So, you may want to make a new one for this build and use that one for a later build if it performs well.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Personally, if something twists, it means that it had internal stresses that were at least partially released when you milled it. So it's going to be a crap shoot if more will simply get released when you machine it further.
How thick is it? Is there enough material present to be able to machine out any further twist if it occurs? Do you really trust it not to twist further? Oh - and CF rods probably won't stop twisting. They aren't really designed to do that.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Yes

Even if it were not for a customer -- the forces of nature have given you fair warning, ditch it.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

The words 'twisted' and 'neck' should never be in the same sentence

I'd not chance it, and I'd blame it on the purple heart.

Stupid purple heart.

Yeah. I'd assume as much. I was just kinda sorta hoping someone would chime in with "no man, just do X and everything will be fine just as you had it planned out all along."

Hey man, just do it. You'll be fine. It'll all work out fine.

There.

Now, in reality, I wouldn't give up just yet. I like Don's answer, which reminds me of a story told by an old tool collector: Stanley planes would cast their plane bodies and toss them aside for a year or so. (The way he told it, toss them outside in their yard.) That gave their castings time to warp and twist. Then they'd take the casting, clean off the rust and grind flat and true. His story, as to one reason old tools are better than their modern counterparts. I dunno, he could have been pulling our legs, but it sounds plausible. My point from that would be to further process your neck and just see if it's stable by now. It might really move this time! Or maybe you've already relieved its stresses?
One way to find out.......
Good luck,
Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

The guitar is for yourself? Then I would make the guitar to the point where the fretboard is on and the frets not yet installed. Then put on strings heavier than you would ever use and subject the thing to a couple months climatic stress. Let it get hot and cold, humid and dry. Then I would sand the fretboard level and finish the guitar.
Give the strings a chance to warp the neck, then make it right. I guess this is just like the Stanley Plane story.

I think trying to salvage a warped neck is expensive, compared to replacement, when you put a value on your time and aggravation.

Since it's for you, build with it if you like. See what it does. As for me, I'd toss it (there's two necks in my scrap pile) to use for something else and make a new neck. JMO

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Hmm...maybe I misread the original post. It looked like the only thing cut out of your blank was the peghead, and then the neck moved? I assumed from that you still have wood to work with, and with that early movement you now know which way to work it. Those Stanley plane castings were enough oversized to grind away warpage.
I've got a stack of useless necks in my shop too, but by golly if I like one I'm gonna try to make it work.
My advice to proceed is based on having sufficient material left to work down to your desired shape.
If you are at finish specs and have a pretzel on your hands, well, hang it on the wall.
If it is basically still a blank, carve the neck. See what happens. It might still work.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com