ziricote paddleheadstock issues

[Orpheo]

On my most recent project I have ordered a ziriote neckback, paddle headstock. I have to cut out a real headstock though, but I have no idea how to proceed. I've never cut wood that hard, only alder and mahogany.

Has anyone ever cut ziricote, rosewood or ebony? and if so, can you also provide me with tips or tricks regarding the saw-ing of this wood? Can I use a regular woodsaw, or should I use a metalsaw?

 

[-CB-]

with small shop type tools...

sounds like you'll need to make a jig to hold the neck, to keep it level, no matter how you turn it.

sounds like a job for mr. bandsaw to do the rough cutting

you could use a router table,,, the fixturing is going to be more complex, I'd avoid that

back to the band saw... after sawing, there are some real vertical nice drum sanders for not too much money (about $100-150, big box home/hardware stores).  That might be a good thing to use to get the shape just about spot on, except for any intricate work.  For intricate ares (aka Gibson type headstock top center...) a good ol' file and or metal straightedge wrapped in sandpaper, to work it down to where ya need it to be.

Back to mr drum sander for smoothing the edges and possibly blending into existing lines on the back

Nice thing - you can get an ok bandsaw for just over $100, and an ok vertical drum sander for about  the same - and you have those for other projects later.

 

[SkuttleFunk]

yep - bandsaw and oscilating drum sander will be your friends for a project like this.


for future projects (or for those who may be thinking of doing this same thing) ... if you don't already have the right tools to do the job, it sure makes the $45 custom headstock fee W charges look extremely reasonable, eh?

all the best,

R

 

[Orpheo]

the problem is actually: can it be sawn as easily as rosewood, or do I need to have a metalsaw, because it is as hard as ebony?

 

[stubhead]

Honest to Pete, you folks would buy $600 worth of tools to stomp a cockroach.... :hello2:
http://cgi.ebay.com/REMINGTON-HS10C-TUNGSTEN-CARBIDE-HACKSAW-BLADE_W0QQitemZ4391725871QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20797QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m118

I bought a really high-end tungsten-carbide Sandvik hacksaw blade somewhere on Ebay (actually I bought two for about $20). It took me about 20 minutes of sawing to cut this out of maple:

You have to think a little bit about how you're going to get your angles close with a blade in a hacksaw frame. With a hardwood, the carbide blades are a real blessing, because they minimize splintering - it's a bunch of sandy little particles glued to the blade. Mine looks like it could cut about 100 more headstocks, no wear at all on maple. I'd be careful about final shaping, 50-grit wet/dry sandpaper is a lot less likely to cause splintering than a toothy rasp. You can probably find a $200 neck clamp somewhere if you ask these guys, or you can just wrap an old towel around it and "clamp" it in a desk drawer.... :redflag:

 

[Orpheo]

haha, I think I know enough now I will just clamp it in my black and decker workmate, wrapped around in some towels. I will saw it, way, way clear of the lines I want, and then with my dremel I will sand it down to the final dimensions. Oh damn, I can't wait till the final guitar is here...

 

[-CB-]

Honest to Pete, you folks would buy $600 worth of tools to stomp a cockroach.... :

Well YEAH!!~~~~

And make it $800 if we can get ludicrous gibs!~

 

[SkuttleFunk]

[quote author=stubhead]
Honest to Pete, you folks would buy $600 worth of tools to stomp a cockroach.... [/quote]

people come here with questions looking for the right way to do something, and so they get a right way to do things answer. as a builder I have an obligation to make sure my answers reflect the proper way to perform a task - agreed?  :icon_thumright:

since the question posed was not "hey, can someone tell me how to HACK my headstock so it looks like a mutant worked on it?" it is only right to answer how it should really be done. besides ... the answer depicting a proper workflow also provides a means to justify new tool purchases, and we're always looking for justifiable reasons to make new tool purchases, right?  :blob7:

all the best,

R

 

[Orpheo]

[quote author=stubhead]
Honest to Pete, you folks would buy $600 worth of tools to stomp a cockroach....

people come here with questions looking for the right way to do something, and so they get a right way to do things answer. as a builder I have an obligation to make sure my answers reflect the proper way to perform a task - agreed?  :icon_thumright:

since the question posed was not "hey, can someone tell me how to HACK my headstock so it looks like a mutant worked on it?" it is only right to answer how it should really be done. besides ... the answer depicting a proper workflow also provides a means to justify new tool purchases, and we're always looking for justifiable reasons to make new tool purchases, right?   :blob7:

all the best,

R
[/quote]

yeah, there is the absolute right way to do it, but sometimes you can get a bit overboard with it, huh? besides, my question was: can it be cut with a regular woodsaw, or should I use a metal-saw? I have no idea how hard the stuff is...

 

[-CB-]

wood saw is fine

 

[stubhead]

Think of what a piker Antonio Stradivarius would've been if he'd only had hand tools to rely on! No wonder his violins sucked so bad, always doing things the wrong way.

(Though in all fairness, indentured-servitude "apprentices" probably would be a handy addition to any shop, I'll bet ol' Antonio didn't have to do much sawing in his latter years... more like pointing, and yelling, whilst nubile servant girls fed him peeled grapes....)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradivarius

Another theory is the idea that very, very old wood from the "little ice age" was used to construct Stradivari's instruments. This theory bases itself upon the high density of this wood; some consider it 'ideal' for making stringed instruments. Trees that grew during this freezing period contained tree rings which were closer together and denser than would be produced in more temperate conditions.

 

[-CB-]

That Stratavarious guy... i've YET to see one of his Strats tho... NOT ONE!

 

[Orpheo]

just one note on the side. this neck will go on a les paul body. What headstock would you cut? A gibson style? variax style? warmoth style? PRS style? McNaught style? Would you use a string-retainer?