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Searching the innerweb for a walnut neck blank, I ran across something I had not seen - a piece 2" X 3-1/4". This is thick and wide enough to get the head out of without cutting and gluing, then just add a short piece of the blank for the heel to make it 4" thick, and the grain is aligned for this. It would have to be 2-1/4" or so thick for it to be intended to be used upright, gluing pieces on for wings at the head. This seems like a reasonable idea - why isn't it more common?

I am having trouble finding a full-sized walnut neck blank - any suggestions?

Ed

The blank you found on the web would work for a one piece electric guitar neck. Some lumber yards list 10/4 stock that you could mill to 2 3/8 - 2 1/4 wide and glue on peghead ears as has been done for many guitars.
Groff and Groff (not too far over the line in Pennsyltucky) lists 16/4 walnut if you don't mind making a day trip. Call ahead to make sure they have some in stock. And also be prepared to pay almost double what 4/4 sells for. If you pick through the pile you may be able to find a thick piece of 12/4 that will finish at 3 inches thick with careful planing, and give you a one piece neck. Their mahogany may be a little cheaper.
Having worked as a resource conservationist for several years (and being somewhat parsimonious by nature) I find one piece necks a bit wasteful, so I glue on heel blocks and pegheads as many of the 19th century makers did.In some cases I will angle the cut on the table saw to get two neck shaft pieces out of a piece that would normally only yield one. With the right kind of joinery I think built up necks look O.K. It is my own foible, and I don't expect the rest of the world to follow suit.

Yes, you could cut a neck out of that in one piece, with no gluing. But you would waste a lot of good wood. The same blank would make at least two necks with a scarf joint and a stacked heel.

Ed, I was having similar problems finding ideal sized stock.
What I have settled into is using the 2” material and laminating in centre strips for a 5 piece blank, then adding the ears. I usually get 2 blanks by nesting the layout.
The look is not for everyone but I believe I get a very stable neck, and I have released a portion of the stress that may be in a one piece blank

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I started building necks with a scarf joint and stacked heel years ago. It does save material. There is a bit of a learning curve to producing a good scarf joint, but a good plane with a sharp blade is key. The heel stack gets cut off that end of the neck blank and is stacked in order, making the joints almost invisible. I’m not opposed to one piece necks, and personally like the look of a laminated build up, and as a way to save materials cost.
But I learned the scarf joint, and will set up and make several neck blanks scarf joints at once to save time, gluing the heels later when I know what the instruments scale length will be. (I use Mahogany exclusively).


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Thanks for the replies. I have done both one piece and scarf jointed necks. My thought on the 2" thick material is that it is not 16/4 piece of wood, but an 8/4 piece, therefore much less than 1/2 the cost and would only require one additional 2" thick piece at the heel. I enjoy using hand tools and the scarf joint made with saws and planes is a very satisfying thing indeed.

Ed