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While carving a neck I ran into this little knot inside. Its hard and stable but right in the middle of the neck. It does not show in the truss rod channel so it can't be very deep. Spanish cedar neck, truss rod channel is 0.45" deep and the neck is about 0.75" here. I plan to shave the neck down some more so it might disappear more
Think I should keep it? Too risky for a break??

The dark line bothers me more than the knot. What kind of guitar? Is it for you or for sale?

The dark line looks like a crack. Maybe it will go away with further sanding?

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I has something similar on my last (and first) guitar. Has not been a problem and no one seems to be bothered by it.

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EddieLee

It's wood. As long as it is solid, embrace its quirks...

Exactly. The cosmetics may affect sale value, but I wouldn't worry about the structure. I wouldn't use it on a for sale instrument, just because of how others may perceive it.

It's an overgrown dead twig. They don't bond to the rest of the wood very well, and sometimes they are loose and can be pulled out. If it were at the neck/headstock junction I'd be worried as I've seen spontaneous fractures there due to those but in the middle of the neck should be fine.
Here's one in an Ebony back and side set. I had to be careful where I placed it so I positioned it where it would be on the widest part of the bend possible.
It didn't give any during the bend as knots don't bend but it didn't crack either. I fixed it in place with CA and sanded the bump smooth, no problem!
I think the side would have likely cracked had the knot been in a tighter bend.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Nice. I like that even better than Krenov's " celebrate the knot". I'm in the same camp. It's wood. A couple of pieces of carbon fibre wouldn't hurt though.

Cheers,
Danny

Wow what binding is that? Pink ivory? Purpleheart? It looks stunning against the ebony!
Sorry for the OT...

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Pablo Picasso

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The Long line that someone else commented on could be a Fire stripe. That could also be the reason for the non bonded dead limb that arose the original question. To that end, me personally, I would scrap it now before it caused more grief later. I would salvage everything else including the head if it was at least partially finished. The neck is one of the most important pieces of wood on the instrument, it's stability must be beyond question. Not every tree gets to grow up and be a guitar, there are better pieces out there.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

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I'd be very worried about that dark line too. It looks like it's open. Knots there are fine. Just tighten them up with thin CA.

Actually it's Purpleheart.

I found a stunningly violet board at Woodcraft, standing out for it's depth of color and richness.

I bought it and ave been using it for binding and stuff.

This guitar I made all the binding and purfling stripes from it. I also used an ebony cane blank to make the black purflings, instead of fiber. I've always loved the purple and black color combination and couldn't resist even hough it was a TON of work for me.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Incidentally, I also have a purpleheart B/S set that I'm going to make Ebony bindings for.....

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Old growth, shmold growth!

The dark line is just that....a dark line in the grain. Its not open or a crack (maybe it was a crack that the tree healed)
I don't mind the beauty mark in the wood. Just concerned if its strong enough. I think I'll keep it

Strength is not a problem with a pin knot that small. The dark line is also common in mahogany, and almost never separates.

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John

Hi John,
The neck is Spanish cedar. If the neck is for a steel string I would find the dark line a bit worrisome, but you are probably right , it may be fine. My experience with Spanish cedar is that it is a highly variable wood from board to board, and not as strong as mahogany. For a steel string neck I want it to look perfect. Being a fairly cheap wood, why not?

SC is not all that cheap any more, but that is not the reason I would save it. I suppose it is just my philosophy that wood can look less than perfect and still function just fine. It is a piece of a tree, after all.

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John

i wouldn't worry about it breaking there, but i'd worry about it warping there. seems like wood sometimes wants to warp at knot nodes. i'd go ahead and carve it to final thickness, leave the headstock rough, and let it sit for 6 months or more and see if it deforms

Try standing on it. If it breaks, then it was too weak I always stand on my necks to test the headstock scarf joint.

I also agree with nyazzip. Let it acclimate to the current uncontrolled humidity (which is still ridiculously low over on this side of the state), check that the fingerboard glue surface is flat, then wait a few months until RH goes up, check again, and if it's still flat then use it.

You most likely have finished shaping the neck but if you haven't if CA the knot before taking it down all the way. The only problem I can see with it is it may come out before you have it finished unless its CA'ed

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust