dh7892 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Just thought I'd canvas opinion on how people make their neck pockets. I particular, so that you get a nice snug fit. On my current build, I pretty much finished building the neck before starting on the body. So I made the pocket to fit the neck. I made a template and used a flush cut router bit with bearing to cut the pocket to the template. Then I did a bit of fine-tuning with a chisel until the neck fitted. I occurs to me now that it might have been easier to get the final fit by removing material from the neck. Also, how do you get the pocket template made so that the neck will line up with the body at the right angle (in the plane of the body, I'm not talking about anlged necks here). I just waited until I'd fitted the neck before working out the position of the bridge/pickups. Also, how to people go about making templates? I just drew around the end of the neck and cut/drum-sanded my way up to just short of the lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razbo Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Just thought I'd canvas opinion on how people make their neck pockets. I particular, so that you get a nice snug fit. On my current build, I pretty much finished building the neck before starting on the body. So I made the pocket to fit the neck. I made a template and used a flush cut router bit with bearing to cut the pocket to the template. Then I did a bit of fine-tuning with a chisel until the neck fitted. I occurs to me now that it might have been easier to get the final fit by removing material from the neck. Also, how do you get the pocket template made so that the neck will line up with the body at the right angle (in the plane of the body, I'm not talking about anlged necks here). I just waited until I'd fitted the neck before working out the position of the bridge/pickups. Also, how to people go about making templates? I just drew around the end of the neck and cut/drum-sanded my way up to just short of the lines. Hi. I am a noob on my first build, so take this for what that may be worth. On the point of shaving the neck vs. adjusting the pocket, whether to do that might depend on if you were ever going to put in a different neck. If you standardized, you could interchange necks at will. From what I have read, always adjust the pocket, not the neck. For angle, I am as paranoid as can be and don't trust my own measurements, so my plan (not done yet) is to clamp the neck to the body and string the two outside strings. (Carefully, using a radiused caul fitting between the strings.) This should permit me to get a perfect alignment, double check the scale length to nut, and get a tracing around the neck for the slot. I saw an idea to actually clamp guides to the body against the neck at that point. Then remove the neck and use them as the router guides (template) for a theoretically perfect fit. I got a new PC and lost my bookmark, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 On my current build, I pretty much finished building the neck before starting on the body. So I made the pocket to fit the neck. I made a template and used a flush cut router bit with bearing to cut the pocket to the template. Also, how to people go about making templates? I just drew around the end of the neck and cut/drum-sanded my way up to just short of the lines. I would have 1. made a template of the neck minus the headstock (or not your choice) include the tenon if it has one. 2. Use this template to make a neck pocket using double sided tape amd a router. a. Tape the neck template to a piece of template material. Hang the neck template over the edge but make the part that is on the template a bit deeper than the actual neck pocket you are making. just a little deeper. b. Use tape and some small square edged pieces of wood (3 pieces) and surround the neck template taped to the template material. c. remove the neck template 3. you should now have a neck pocket made of 3 wood blocks. Now take your router and template bit and use the wood blocks as your guide to cut out the neck pocket. Once you have routed the pocket make sure both templates fit snugly together. You are ready to go. All easier before you start doing anything. Or buy a guitar template and transfer what you need to your own guitar shape. So if you are using a fender, gibson or PRS neck size and scale you can buy a template of one of those and just use some of the template, as all this has already been done for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wood is good Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Spoke, I feel that only works if you dont have to sand AT ALL around the heel area. If you do, then your neck pocket template is then too small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Spoke, I feel that only works if you dont have to sand AT ALL around the heel area. If you do, then your neck pocket template is then too small. Then put some masking tape around the neck template to shim out the pocket before you make the template. I would think you would want the pocket smaller from what you said not bigger which means adding some masking tape to the edge of the three pieces of wood before you rout the pocket template. Maybe I missed something, I also use set necks but it should work both ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wood is good Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 CORRECTION!! I meant that the neck pocket would be too BIG, because of the sanding of the heel of the neck. Regardless, different methods work for better for some more than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Look up Myka's jig. I wanna say it's pinned somewhere.... perhaps the tutorials section? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1badude Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 (edited) Look up Myka's jig. I wanna say it's pinned somewhere.... perhaps the tutorials section? Chris Here ya go. I posted a similar thread the other day. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ket+routing+jig http://www.mykaguitars.com/tools/neckpocketjig/ Edited June 3, 2009 by f1badude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dh7892 Posted June 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Look up Myka's jig. I wanna say it's pinned somewhere.... perhaps the tutorials section? Chris Here ya go. I posted a similar thread the other day. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ket+routing+jig http://www.mykaguitars.com/tools/neckpocketjig/ That link's great. I must have missed that one. That's just the kind of thing that would have made my neck pocket a whole lot better than I actaully got it in the end! Nevermind, I'll try it next build. Thanks for all the replies guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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