How hard is it to 'finish' a neck?

[KaosCill8r]

Go to a house demolition company and find old fire place mantles. I built a lap steel from old mantles. Old solid doors are also good for this kind of thing. The U.S being around longer than Australia, you should be able to find some awesome vintage timber. And the Europeans have it the best when it comes to the good reclaimed timber. They might be able to build something from timber that's 500+ years old.