On A Neck-thru, Cut Body Shape Before Or After Glueing?

[ecnal]

I'm planning a neck-thru, since my first build wasn't well planned out and I messed it up.

I'm curious if it would be easier to glue the wing blanks to the neck then bandsaw it to shape, or cut the wings individually then glue to the neck?

I'm thinking it would be easier to glue then cut, but just looking for other's opinion.

Thanks!

[Mender]

I've done it both ways, and found it is much easier to clamp the wings on if you glue first

[westhemann]

I have done several..Yes clamping can be easier,but everything else is not.cut your body parts AND shape them AND sand the parts closest to the neck before gluing.

And also..completely finish your neck before gluing the wings on...radiusing,fretting,shaping fret ends,installing side dots...all of that stuff is much easier without the wings on.

I do all of the routing after gluing with a template that keeps everything higher than the fretboard so that the router does not touch it.

Clamping the wings is a non-issue.Just save your cutoffs to use as clamping cauls.One time on a V I just left one section in the middle of the wing non shaped and cut that off after clamping.But especially on a V you can't get the crisp edges you need so easily after everything is glued.First time you accidentally gouge your neck trying to shape your cutaways you will regret ever trying it.

[ecnal]

Yes clamping can be easier,but everything else is not.cut your body parts AND shape them AND sand the parts closest to the neck before gluing.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Trying to figure out how one would route a roundover on the inside of a horn near the neck after it's glued. Just doesn't make sense. I like a nice, deep roundover on an instrument (.5 to .75 inch).

So I think I'll cut the wings, sand and route/roundover, plane the neck to the right thickness then mark everything off on it as to where the body'll be glued, etc. Then rough cut the neck, then start the carving process.

Oh, boy. Fun fun.

[westhemann]

Trying to figure out how one would route a roundover on the inside of a horn near the neck after it's glued.

Yeah you can't..

this one started out as a through neck which I glued all of the parts together before shaping

Notice the laminates down the center?I found out I could not get the results I wanted with the neck in place,so I had to cut it all back apart and make it the set neck guitar you see....when it was a neck thru the top was all one piece and was overlaid over the top of the neck tenon.but since I used epoxy to glue the top on because of all of the deep fissures in the grain I could not just take it back apart...doubt I could have anyway.

This one was a learning experience for me.There are some types of guitars you can shape after gluing,and some you can't...just depends on if you are blending everything in at the neck to body join or if you are doing crisp edges,really...

But no matter what,it is always easier to shape while it is apart.

[Helldunkel]

I've done it both ways in the past but at the very end I prefere to pre shape the body and glue it using the waist wood from the cut as a clamping caul...

Here are some pics of a very very rare neck-thru I built:

I actually got the grain perfectly aligned with the 2 wings which gives the impression that the guitar was carved in the mass.

But watch the back and you will notice a joint, that's because the neck is one piece going thru the entire body but to match up for the thickness of the body I add another piece below the neck itself...

The truss rod cover is bloodwood...

long time ago lol, body and neck are sapelli and on this one true oil finish

[Ripthorn]

I've done two neck-thrus and both times I shaped before gluing, just because I couldn't figure out how I would get a nice sharp transition from body wings to neck. It has worked quite well and that is the way that I will always do it.