Stew Mac has a sale, what tools do I get to build a neck?

[PRSpoggers]

This is my first time building. I am getting a saw rasp off amazon (shinto) and I am going to get a template of a 57 strat neck from stew mac. Should I get a neck shaper and some other stuff? What is the essentials that I need?

[Bizman62]

There's a ton of tools that can be used for building a guitar. The big question is what the essential ones are.

Think what you are going to do. Then find out if you can do it with the tools you already have. If you find out you need something more, think if you can make it yourself (like a neck rest). If you find out that there's no tools in your rack to be able to do what you want to do, then and only then you'll have to get it. The essential tools are those that a) you can push to their limits and beyond and b) you have at hand.

I've often referred to the Malawi Refugee Camp guitar builder. What are the tools he's got? A hand saw, a hand plane, pliers, a ruler, most likely a chisel, possibly a scraper, some rasps and files and some sort of a drill. And he can build electric guitars with those.

[PRSpoggers]

1 hour ago, Bizman62 said:

There's a ton of tools that can be used for building a guitar. The big question is what the essential ones are.

Think what you are going to do. Then find out if you can do it with the tools you already have. If you find out you need something more, think if you can make it yourself (like a neck rest). If you find out that there's no tools in your rack to be able to do what you want to do, then and only then you'll have to get it. The essential tools are those that a) you can push to their limits and beyond and b) you have at hand.

I've often referred to the Malawi Refugee Camp guitar builder. What are the tools he's got? A hand saw, a hand plane, pliers, a ruler, most likely a chisel, possibly a scraper, some rasps and files and some sort of a drill. And he can build electric guitars with those.

Well I need a router, a bandsaw, glue, a truss rod, a saw rasp to shape the neck, chisels, a template for the neck and a bunch of other stuff. If I get this I think I could build a neck.

[Bizman62]

That's plenty. Solid stuff for other woodworking as well.

[mattharris75]

Wrong forum...