How to Make Neck

will20fitz

Hi there,

I'm making my first guitar. I'm just wondering what the best way for sorting the contour of the neck. i.e. the outer profile from the nut to the end of the fretboard (where the little spot markers go). On the neck i have left a few mm either side so i have something to play with, but now its time to cut the fretboard and i want to get this as spot on as possible. 

Do people cut to the outside of the line? If so, once the fretboard is fitted, how do you then get a straight profile on the top and bottom profiles of the neck?

Is this clear?

Many thanks,

Will

GuitarMonkey

I think I know what you mean and I would make a template. 

Cut a trapezium from MDF with one end the width of the nut (e.g. 43mm) the other end the desired width at the end of the fretboard, and its length that of your fretboard. Attach it to the face of your neck down the centre line and rout the edges using a follower bit.

Others may have better ideas!

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y419/familyrunbusiness/IMG_28561_zpsba87f2ea.jpg

octatonic

Are you talking about shaping the neck of the neck, or radiusing the fingerboard?

Shaping the neck: use a rasp/file to shape a point at either end of the neck that is roughly the profile you want for each position.

Use half-templates if need be.

Then use a spokeshave to remove the excess between the two profiled areas until the rest of the neck blends well.

Then use sandpaper to smooth it- go through all the grades up to at least 600 grit.

Radiusing the fingerboard- I use radius blocks with sand paper.

Also work through the grades to at least 600 grit.

It is better to radius the fingerboard before you cut the profile to shape- but more work.

Misterg

will20fitz said:

Is this clear?

Not 100%, but...

I guess you currently have a rough cut neck and a rough cut fretboard?

Do you have a router?

Mark centre lines on both if you haven't already.

I guess you can go several ways, but what I did on my Firebird was to radius the fretboard blank (it was pre-slotted) then mark it out for the correct width at the nut and the end of the fretboard and cut it just slightly over width, then carefully take it down to the finished size (this would be the same trapezium shape mentioned by @GuitarMonkey). I used a plane,
but you could also use a router and a template or straight-edge.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/Firedoor/DSC_1730.jpg

You can see the finished line & my wobbly saw cut.

Be sure to mark the centre line onto the ends and/or back of the fretboard before trimming!

I fitted binding either side, but the principle is the same without.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/Firedoor/DSC_1810.jpg

Once the fretboard has got dead straight edges, you can fix it to the neck and use it as a template to route the neck to the finished width (usually you would need to run the router along the back of the neck blank and use a router bit with an end bearing).

Another way to do it would be to use a straight-edge or template to route the edges of the neck to the correct shape, then to use that as a router template to trim the fretboard after fixing.

It depends what you've got so far, and what you're trying to make. (Pics?)

GuitarMonkey

@Misterg the pic I posted above is @will20fitz's project (from another discussion of his)

You can see that his neck is not yet trimmed to width.

Yes, rather than a template, he could shape the fretboard and use that. 

Misterg

GuitarMonkey said:

@Misterg the pic I posted above is @will20fitz's project (from another discussion of his)

Ahh! I didn't realise, sorry...

So the body is attached ....Hmm....

I suppose one could use the edge of a piece of MDF or something on the top surface of the neck as a straight edge to cut one edge of the neck at a time, but a template would probably be best  - Ideally it would include at least the start of the transitions from the neck into the headstock and body.

It looks like any trussrod channel would need to be routed out sometime soon - maybe worth making up a combined template (neck edges & truss rod slot) since there are no straight edges for reference...?

I think that matching the fretboard to the cleaned up neck would be easier If the fretboard blank hasn't been radiussed yet:

In which case, one could position the fretboad on the neck, centre lines aligned & nut slot in the right place and secure it to the neck temporarily (e.g. with a small dowel through one of the 12th fret markers and another under the nut, or a pin through one of the fret slots, etc. to maintain alignment). Then run a router on the top surface of the fretboard using a flush trim bit to trim the sides of the fretboard to match the neck. (If the fretboard was slotted, and the truss rod had been fitted, the fretboard could have been fitted permanently at this stage , I think, and radiussed in-situ...maybe...)

If the fretboard has already been radiussed, I can't think of an easy way of matching it to the neck - just the hard way of marking it out to the correct width and cutting / routing / planing / sanding to The Line (taken off the neck). In any case, the neck carve will ease the transition between fretboard and neck as long as they are straight in "plan" view.

Whatever, I think it would be running through any plan of action so that the combined wisdom can be brought to bear to check it doesn't introduce pitfalls for the remaining operations

will20fitz

You people are legends!

That has been really helpful.

I think i will make up a jig template from the nut to the end of the fingerboard (and possibly include part of the outline of the headstock. Then route the neck profile on the neck, then route the fingerboard profile on the fingerboard, then fit the truss rod (the channel is already routed - difficult to see in the pics), then glue down the fretboard. I think that should work. I like to idea of then radiusing the fretboard in-situ. 

Hopefully these latest pics will help show what is going on! So the fretboard is slotted, but not radiused. 

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y419/familyrunbusiness/IMG_29561_zps6a7194f4.jpg

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y419/familyrunbusiness/IMG_29551_zps5f701c79.jpg

GuitarMonkey

What fret markers are you using, if any? 

If you are putting dots in the face, I think that it's a good idea to do it before you taper the fretboard. You can use a fence on your drill press (assuming you have one) so they all line up (except for the 12th obvs!)

Misterg

Sounds like a plan!

+1 to drilling / routing for any fret markers next.

If contempating radiussing the fretboard in-situ, check that you have enough height for the edges of your radius block (or whatever) to clear the body even if the block wobbles a little off centre.

Nice looking build, btw!

GSPBASSES

Have a look at the link below some very good tips on shaping the back of a neck.

http://www.liutaiomottola.com/construction/NeckCarve.htm

 

octatonic

I cut the fingerboard exactly to size and then trim the neck down to that.

will20fitz

Thanks again.

I'm not having face dots on the fret board, just the side markers. I made a jig which was the perfect profile (43mm at nut, etc) over the weekend and cocked it up when routing the fret board! I didnt have the router totally flat on the jig at one end, hence the router pinched into the jig and fretboard by a mm or so! DAMM! 

Talking to a fellow dog walker in the park this morning and i find out he has a table router i can borrow! Bingo, that will allow me to be certain for getting the jig and fretboard presented truly flat to the bit. 

Just need a quick call to DAvid Dyke to get a new fret  board!

As i tell myself, if i didn't make any mistakes then i wouldn't learn anything!

will20fitz

Was well pi@@ed off at the weekend though!

Misterg

Router table is the way to go...

Have you thought about trimming the fret board down and adding a binding to rescue it?

will20fitz

Hey Misterg,

Thats a good idea with the binding. I will have a look later and see if its possible.

Cheers

W