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Joined:
September 2011
Posts: 402
Location: New Hartford CT | Back in the golden years of 20K+ units/year, raw sanding O necks was a tough job. It had to be done and it had to be done well - the inspector would delight in sending anything less than perfect back to your bench for rework, especially if you were a subcontractor like me. At this point the neck already had a lot of work and material at stake.The 5 pc neck materials have been bonded together and rough sawed. The neck and headstock have been shaped, drilled out for tuners, FB w/frets attached and carving/brush sanding was complete. There was already quite a bit of material and labor at stake. Now comes some serious manual labor.
With a 5" pneunmatic orbital sander, the shaft and both sides of the peghead were flat sanded with 120 grit 3M 'gold' stick on discs. Insuring that the shaft was free of 'bumps/dips' was critical. Using high grade sandpaper produced better results faster.
Take a close look at the headstock edges and woodwork. These edges needed to be broken per spec, not too sharp and not too rounded over. Any sort of non spec radius or 'lines' in the break were marked with a bit of masking tape and sent back for rework. 100% inspection of each neck was the standard.
We used wood blocks with rubber and felt work surfaces. 5" sticky discs were applied to the blocks for breaking the edges.
The shaft and headstock were then gone over with a flex foam pad (aka hunk of flab) with same 120 grit stick discs attached. The shaft needed to be sanded going with the grain, up and down, then some further smoothing of the headstock edges. Finally the neck was checked for any non conformances, masked off for spraying and marked with the model number before sending it along.
Being a good raw sander required a high level of skill, a sharp eye and....tenacity. Many simply couldn't hack it. Once you've sanded your ten thousandth neck the thrill is gone, that's for certain. But along with the routine came an extremely high level of speed and skill. That person is going to produce excellent results time after time. Around 28/day was considered a good clip for an 8 hr shift.
I have to chuckle when I see how the imports are done these days. Sometimes progress comes with a price. I haven't in person seen the newer USA models but hope that the standards remain as rigorous as ever.
Consistency. Sweat. Tenacity. That's how it was done. I can see it and feel it every time I pick up a vintage Ovation from the golden years. |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | "the inspector would delight in sending anything less than perfect back to your bench for rework"
Why yes. Yes I did. :D |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Geo. Some of us observed what may be a very similar operation upstairs in the Hamer custom shop. What kind of protection did you have for the skin on your hands and fingers? How often did you go through a pair of gloves? |
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Joined:
September 2011
Posts: 402
Location: New Hartford CT | We used Dermoplast tape combined with some lightweight cotton gloves for the most part.
One of the worst problems was your skin getting dried out and splitting. These types of cuts hurt and heal slow. An old timer fixed me up with this little metal tube of pure lanolin - nothing works better for healing those kinds of cuts. Apply a bandage over it and the wound stops hurting and starts healing right away; very important if you're working with your hands for a living.
Canterbury, perhaps we knew each other in another life and don't even know it? That was a long time ago for me.
This post sponsored by Acme Lanolin Corp USA, Inc |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Naw. I actually worked in Moosup. I just couldn't resist - it's been so many years since I heard anyone curse the inspector! |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Now everything is made by computer and we all watch "reality" shows where no one does anything real. |
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Raw sanding basics