In my guitar building process, a carving buck is an essential piece for final shaping and sanding of a neck. It should hold the guitar securely and at the proper height to be able to work comfortably. It should also have a number of clamping options so you can clamp both the carving buck and guitar neck in several ways depending on your needs. After using my original buck which was made from a piece of an old pallet for several years. I’ve decided on a few things that work as well as some things I’d like to improve upon.

I set out to make a new buck from some Elm that I have in the shop. I made the new buck taller than the old one. This was the main improvement from the old one. I found that if the buck is too short, your hands hit the tabletop when you’re using a rasp or file. I also made the new one with a much wider base so it was more stable when working. I found that I like to have a removable shim to go between the headstock and the buck. This makes up for the difference in thickness in the headstock and keeps the neck nice and flat.

Overall, this new carving buck is much better than the old one, in both function as well as the look. I’m glad to implement some improvements and can’t wait to put this new one to the test. Check out the build video below. Have a great day!

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