Tapering A Neck-thru

[ByronBlack]

Hi guy's. I received my wood today all planned and jointed and ready for glueing, which makes things a bit easier :-)

I've drawn on the taper and all the other details, I just wanted to hear your experiences of how you cut the taper. My first thought was to cut it on a bandsaw, and then plane straight, or use a router around a template.

Are there any jigs that I could put together to make this easier and more accurate??

[MzI]

do you mean the tape through the body?? Genreally I leave mine straight and just tape the actual neck

MzI

[ByronBlack]

do you mean the tape through the body?? Genreally I leave mine straight and just tape the actual neck

MzI

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It's the tapering of the neck that I was referring to. For example, at the point where the fingerboard starts at the body, the width is approx 55mm and at the nut end it is 40mm so I need to cut this taper. I can't really use a jointer come to think of it because it needs to remain straight at the body section.

I suppose the only real way to it is cut as accurate as poss on a bandsaw using a mitre guage, and then using a combination of hand planes and sanding, get it accurate..

Any more ideas on this?

[erikbojerik]

For my bass proj, I used a 1/4" plywood template. I first drew a centerline, then measured & drew the outline based on that, then cut the plywood on a bandsaw and made sure the edges were straight by running it through on a jointer.

Make sure you measure again after making the template, in case of a mistake on the jointer. It took me 2 tries to get it right. This is a good way to go...make all your mistakes on the template, easier than making them on the neck.

I used the template to draw the outline onto the neck blank, then bandsawed just outside that line. I screwed the template back onto the neck blank (where the truss rod rout would later remove the screw holes), and used a pattern bit to rout away the last bit of wood from the neck blank. Worked like a charm.

[ByronBlack]

For my bass proj, I used a 1/4" plywood template.  I first drew a centerline, then measured & drew the outline based on that, then cut the plywood on a bandsaw and made sure the edges were straight by running it through on a jointer.

Make sure you measure again after making the template, in case of a mistake on the jointer.  It took me 2 tries to get it right.  This is a good way to go...make all your mistakes on the template, easier than making them on the neck.

I used the template to draw the outline onto the neck blank, then bandsawed just outside that line.  I screwed the template back onto the neck blank (where the truss rod rout would later remove the screw holes), and used a pattern bit to rout away the last bit of wood from the neck blank.  Worked like a charm.

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So your template is just for your neck section?, or do you cut a template for the full neck-thru including the part that goes through the body?

[shanter]

mines not a neck throuhg, but a deep set neck. i did the same thing as erik but i used some poplar.

[Gemleggat]

Are you sure 40mm to 55 seems a little small? You have a band saw use that, then make a template of the taper and then route round it.

[erikbojerik]

So your template is just for your neck section?, or do you cut a template for the full neck-thru including the part that goes through the body?

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Just the tapered part of the neck (from the nut to the 24th fret). I also left the headstock at full neck blank width.

[MzI]

i just rough mine out on the bandsaw then finished it based on my fretboard by hand with a rasp

MzI

[ByronBlack]

i just rough mine out on the bandsaw then finished it based on my fretboard by hand with a rasp

MzI

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Thanks for the tips chaps. I've cut out my template on a bandsaw (using MDF for now) and will use my router in a jig that i'm going to build to 'joint' the straight edges. The jig will have a height adjustment on one end to match the tapering angle, I can then clamp the template in between the two boards that make up the jig, and then run the router down the length until it's straight.

I intend to use the same jig to do the neck with as it will allow me to use the routers plunge guage to take the extra 4mm out to take the binding. When i've built the jig, i'll post some pics incase anyone else wants to do this - a lot cheaper than buying a jointer :-)

55m and 40mm are taking from some plans that I already had and adapted, on sight, it doesn't seem to be too small, and it's roughly the same as my Jackson Rhodes, do you suggest I make these slightly wider, will I have problems with these widths?

[eddiewarlock]

i just rough mine out on the bandsaw then finished it based on my fretboard by hand with a rasp

MzI

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Thanks for the tips chaps. I've cut out my template on a bandsaw (using MDF for now) and will use my router in a jig that i'm going to build to 'joint' the straight edges. The jig will have a height adjustment on one end to match the tapering angle, I can then clamp the template in between the two boards that make up the jig, and then run the router down the length until it's straight.

I intend to use the same jig to do the neck with as it will allow me to use the routers plunge guage to take the extra 4mm out to take the binding. When i've built the jig, i'll post some pics incase anyone else wants to do this - a lot cheaper than buying a jointer :-)

55m and 40mm are taking from some plans that I already had and adapted, on sight, it doesn't seem to be too small, and it's roughly the same as my Jackson Rhodes, do you suggest I make these slightly wider, will I have problems with these widths?

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40mm and 55 mm is too narrow, that would be less at the nut than a J bass...

For a guitar that's 1 5/8" at the nut would be around 41 mm, and you might want to have 56mm and the last fret, for a guitar with a nut with of 1 11/16" it would be 43mm and for a guitar with a nut with of 1 3/4" it would be 45 mm.

About the taper i tape the fretboard, while maintaining the center line on both the fretboard and the neck, the neck can be rough tapered, but if doesn;t matter because you still have to carve the neck Good luck

[ByronBlack]

The nut that i've got is a stew-macs bone gibson style, so i'll measure up using the info you have provided and make it a bit wider. Thanks!

[CudBucket]

You could also make a template by marking your taper lines and then clamping a straigth edged board to it and using a router with a pattern bit. Then clamp on the other taper and do that one.