Starting out in guitar building - There will be questions!

TTony

I *always* prefer the bushings rather than a plate.  So much neater (IMHO of course!)

SteveF

Do you use 12 or 14mm bushings?  Any particular things to watch out for (distance from edge etc)?  I assume a forstner bit or something similar to drill the recesses and then drill through for the screws (or vice versa). Maybe half inch hole to fit the 12mm bushings to allow for some finish width? 

WezV

I think you've got lucky on it, but it will work.  I don't mind a neck plate

Roland

From a playability point of view I like bushings, or failing the a curve edge plate.

elstoof

Could route a recess for the plate to sit flush in

HilditchGuitars

It always amuses me in life, when I see someone in a place where I've been and remind myself that it does in fact happen to the best of us and I'm not just a total idiot haha. All mistakes I've made, and good to see others have too. But that's a great fix and exactly what I would have done too.
I always go for the bushings as I too think they're neater than a plate. Plus you can use proper machine screws and threaded inserts in the neck for a nice positive grip. And you can round off the heel on the body for comfier playing at 'the dusty end'

Looking great though, keep up the good work

WezV

Here is the Tom Anderson version  of the angled heel.  It's subtle, but makes a big difference to feel.  just watch out for screw lengths with anything angled or recessed

WezV

elstoof said:

Could route a recess for the plate to sit flush in

whilst possible, its  tricky to do well in this area. Even if done perfectly, the wood border will be quite weak. 

Best to stick to simpler fixes for a first build

SteveF

Definitely wanted to get this finished before attempting any routing of the neck. 

Just need a handful of 1/4”-20 wing nuts and I should be good to go. The router has a built in lift which is handy and the Kreg plate came pre-drilled for Triton routers so all nice and easy. 

Decided to do a routed recess for the plate, rather than spend the extra on the precision adjustable corner plates.  I purposely routed about 1/2mm too deep and shimmed with some tape to get the plate perfectly flush with the top of the table. 

Only downside I can see is that to set it up for the table I needed to take the plunge spring out and the sub-base plate off so moving it from table to plunge mode is a little bit of a faff. Might have to find a second router for doing the cavities at some stage so I can leave it set up. 

PeteC

Good stuff - you’ll find it very useful.  A second router is a good idea too.   I can recommend the Makita RT0700 for the smaller jobs - it also has an optional plunge base which is dead handy for routing cavities and the like.  

davros

That looks great. I've managed to end up with 4 routers now, an old one in the router table, a bosch one for plunging, a small one for smaller cavities and a 1/2 inch one just for rounding over amp and speaker cabinets.

If you're looking for a cheaper non plunge small router I can vouch for this Katsu one, only 40 quid and does the job.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/101748-Electric-Trimmer-Laminator-Joiners/dp/B00LVVJ99U/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=120722985787&hvadid=606275874391&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1006573&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9397572158766424035&hvtargid=kwd-306921078950&hydadcr=18254_2289250&keywords=katsu+router&qid=1690703239&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

SteveF

Thanks both - I am going to have a bit of a think about what I am after from the other router.  I am not sure a small trim router is what I am after. 

I can essentially see me using the table for doing basically all the outlines.  I think I will want the other to do the pickup and neck cavities as well as the truss rod channel.  I also think I will potentially want something of a reasonable size to enable putting on one of those sleds to do thicknessing stuff.  So something reasonable size but not too unwieldy.  Part of me wonders about just buying the same router again - I know how to use it now, and it has some useful features.  Any other recommendations? 

Re: the table mounted router - you can get a 1/2” collet for this router.  Is it worth doing that and getting a more sturdy 1/2” shaft template bit for the table or am I worrying about nothing? 

WezV

I have 2 of the katsu routers with 4 bases set up in different jigs.   They are a bargain.

I also have the bosch version with a couple of different bases.

I do most of my routing with these smaller routers.   

davros

2 of the same router is a good shout - means you can interchange and those triton ones are pretty nice.

1/2 inch shaft doesn't really work for a template bit with the bearing on the shaft imo, the cutter diameter would need to be pretty large.

PeteC

The table router will do for your truss rod channel too.  You just have to set up a suitable fence and do the channel before you cut the neck taper.  

Its a good way to get a really accurate cut.  

Roland

SteveF said:

Definitely wanted to get this finished before attempting any routing of the neck. 

I now have tool envy.

Kalimna

davros said:

2 of the same router is a good shout - means you can interchange and those triton ones are pretty nice.

1/2 inch shaft doesn't really work for a template bit with the bearing on the shaft imo, the cutter diameter would need to be pretty large.

I disagree regarding the 1/2" not suitable for a template bit. Almost all of my templates are perfectectly fine with both top and bottom bearings on a 1/2" bit. The only time i have found a 1/4" necessary is when routing pickup pockets - and that is purely because of the corner radius.

As you say, 2 of the same router is a good shout - time for me to browse Axminster again!

SteveF

Well, Tool Station had this Triton router on clearance still.  Out of stock online and only 1 in stock for collection that happened to be about 20 miles away from me, so I thought I'd take a quick outing.

SteveF

Roland said:

SteveF said:

Definitely wanted to get this finished before attempting any routing of the neck. 

I now have tool envy.

Haha, thanks @Roland . Frame was mostly cobbled together from leftover timber from when I built my bench. Cheap MDF sheet from B&Q and then an insert plate from Amazon. 

SteveF

Been mulling over the next steps and thinking about the order of operations to do the neck/fingerboard.  I have seen various ways online - does this seem sensible enough - any dissent? 

• Rough cut out neck shape and flush trim to template
• Prep/flatten the board
• Slot the board
• Glue board to neck
• Flush trim board to neck
• Inlay dots
• Radius board
• Recheck slot depth
• Fret

The main thing that jumps out at me is - radiusing the board that is tapered (whether before or after trimming) will result in the board being thicker at the nut end than the body end.  Is this likely to be noticeable?  Is it normal? Am I supposed to try and avoid it somehow? Surely the only way to do that is to have a compound radius?  I am currently planning on a consistent 10" radius using a 450mm aluminium radius block as it seemed the simplest approach.