Making A Boat Paddle Tenor Ukulele - Part 7 - Neck Preparations

Long time no uke .....
Where were we?
OK, the body shell sides are  ready and glued in place.
The neck block has to be made to accommodate the neck tenon.
I have chosen Australian cedar for this because of its lightness and strength.
The neck block has to be moulded to fit the shape of the top end of the body - it will also support both the top and back of the uke.

Cutting Out The Neck

I have made up the neck blank from three strips - two of sassafras and one of Australian rosewood.

 One end is cut to leave the middle piece of rosewood.  This will act as the tenon to anchor the neck and body together.

Here is the neck roughly laid out on the laminated blank.

The angle of the headstock to the neck is 15 degrees - easily measured with a protractor and angle gauge

After laying out the neck shape precisely, I cut it out on the bandsaw.

Here are the offcuts and the roughed out neck.  I keep the scraps - they will come in handy later.
All of the remaining shaping of the neck will be done by hand using rasps, spokeshaves and scrapers.

I'll move on to that next.
Happy shavings