Cutting A Scarf On A Neck-thru

[Ripthorn]

Hey guys, I have a solid maple neck-thru that I built when I was in high school that I am in the process of fixing up so that it bears some resemblance to a playable guitar. When I built the thing, I was too enthusiastic about getting it done to do my research, so I ended up making it a 26.5" scale length to fit the length of the neck. The problem is that I have smaller hands and really don't like the longer scale length, so I want to bring it down to a 25" (I originally built this guitar to mimic a PRS). My issue is that I scarf jointed on the headstock and would like to do the same with the new headstock, but now with the body all attached and the neck shaped, I can't just put the thing on a table saw or anything like that. I am wondering how you guys would go about making the scarf cut on the neck to shorten it. Any advice or past experiences would be really helpful. Thanks.

[killemall8]

hmmm.

i would just cut the scarf down lower than it already is, making it a shorter neck for your 25" scale. but remember, after all your stuff was routed for the longer scale length, you might have to fiddle around with number of frets, and positioning of the new fretboard to get it to match your bridge position.

Edited September 21, 2008 by killemall8

[Ripthorn]

I already figured I might need to give up a fret or two based on pickup position. I guess my real question is what method of cutting should I use? I have thought about a miter box with a piece of wood cut to a set angle to get my desired headstock angle (~10 degrees or so). Also, I don't have a jointer available currently, so that could limit my options for actually cutting the thing.

[killemall8]

do you have access to a bandsaw? you dont really need a joiner, just a clean cut and a sanding machine of some sort.

[j. pierce]

It's not that huge a cut. A good eye and steady hand and you should be able cut that easily with a handsaw, and then clean it up with a handplane or a sanding block. I'd recommend a stiff bladed saw, like a tenon or dovetail saw, to help avoid blade drift. Making your marking lines with a knife and not a pencil gives you something to help line the saw up, it'll register in the knife mark. If you're going to be scarfing on a new piece of wood, you can cut a little away from the line and then approach it when you clean things up.

I don't know, it's how I'd do it.