madhattr88

can u guys explain what u do afterwards..i mean, do u use double-stick tape and a long piece of sandpaper? do u have to push down while sanding, or just slide it back and forth? how long of a block is needed? wouldn't longer be better? thanks!

I think that is great...I would honestly have to see it to believe it,but more power to you. i have a fingerboard template made from 3/4" MDF..its slightly oversized from the final board i want... 1) band saw close to line as possible 2) double stick tape to MDF template and use ROBO-sander...the guide bushing follows nicely...i even round my FB corners at the 22nd fret. 3) after the FB is glued to the neck, i use a flat sanding block to get to the width i need. matt

i did a search, but couldn't find the info i need. i'm out of money (for now), but i'm ready to level the fingerboard (not fretted yet) and the nut isn't attached yet. i know stew-mac sells long pieces of steel/aluminum for levelling, but they are $50 or more...ouch. what's a poor man's way of doing this? i do not have any steel or aluminum blocks laying around, i do have a wooden 12" radius block, but its only 4" long. any ideas??? what do you guys do? thanks! matt

i use solidworks to design my guitars, so anyway, here's my next design that i'm building now (2nd build) comments, suggestions?

what about getting a sanding bit attachment for my drill press? kinda like the robo-sander, but without the guide bearing. i guess i could make a fence for the piece to go against for accuracy. thoughts?

i wish i had an open end drum sander...but i don't. i really like the way that wagner safe-t-planer looks. i might break down and buy one... for those of u who put an angle on the neck for the body joint...do u do the same thing???? drum sanders?

would the ones they sell at home depot suffice for this???

i guess i could use this set-up to create the angle on the back of the neck (neck/body joint) i have it at 2°

do u have any pics of your set-up?

that looks perfect...thanks

well i started with a hand held belt sander.....but that was really aggressive....

i'm having a heck of a time getting a nice flat surface on the back of the headstock..... its at 15 degrees....the front was easy because i could use a plane to achieve the proper angle and flatness.... but the back is a different story.... the headstock thickness i'm shotting for is between 1/2" and 5/8" you guys have any tricks??? thanks madhattr88

thanks, so how much?

i was thinking a buying a planer for my bodies and necks.....any suggestions? something cheap, but will do the job correctly. craftsman? grizzly? thanks! matt

this is a great pic! thanks! this is how i will do it.

I'd like to see a picture of that! endgrain don't glue well at all. so to make the pre shaped neck longer you must have gone thru a lot of trouble.a scarf joint seems to be the only way to go. is this how you glued the extra piece? to me, doing this successfully is way harder than routing a truss rod channel on a tapered neck. (and to me, it would be 10 times easier to make a new neck, than to do all this) could you please post a pic of what you've done? i'm just curious. sorry, i don't have a pic, but i used epoxy to attach the pieces... extremely strong with no problems. now u guys have me re-thinking this whole thing. making a neck from scratch seems to be the opionion here. the only trouble i would have is cutting the headstock angle (clean). u guys just use a band saw for this? if u look at my picture again, maybe u can help me with a step-by-step method for creating my neck. the only pic have is the final product....here it is. (my first build)

not sure i'm following...??? how do u clamp it to the table saw???

but i can acquire these very easily....AND...they already have the barrel shape.

if its not too much trouble, i would LOVE to see a pic of your fixture.... thank you so much.

hey everyone...want to get everyones opinion on this. For my last build i took an acoustic style neck and added some pieces to make an electric...(longer, different head style,etc) the problem was converting the existing rod slot to the longer HOT ROD two way slot. last time i just did a lot of scraping and chiseling...however, i now have the routing bit from Stew-Mac that matches the HOT-ROD. i've been trying to make a jig to use with my router to help me "convert" the rod slot, but as u can see from the pic i don't have a straight edge to work with. the starting neck has the taper already on it. any ideas......FREE HAND??? thanks for everything guys! this forum rocks!

just wondering what's the best way to do this? on my first build i used a pattern i made from 3/4" MDF. (the neck fit was kinda sloppy - lots of glue to fix) i was thinking of getting the neck done, and clamping it to the body. then butt some STRAIGHT scrap up against the neck and double-side tape it down. then use the scrap as a guide for my hand router. just wanted to see what most of you do?? thanks!!! matt madhattr88@yahoo.com

its a 2° glued-in neck....no bolts. yes, i added polyurethane to all the rosewood parts (excluding the FB of course) i'll take more pics when i have it 100% done. thanks!!!!

All i need to do is add the electronics and knobs... Indian Rosewood FB, pickguard and cavity plates......i hate plastic. looks like my blood on the towel in the background. LOL! .....GOD, i hope this thing sounds good.

a couple drops of superglue for me....the wood glue did NOT hold and i had to reattach it. as for the nut slotting. not to get too technical, but the top of the fret plane should by .007" below the bottom of the nut slots. i have a gauge to help me.

I think that is the best question in building guitars and one that has no real answer that I have found, only preferences really. Some of the order is set in stone, but much of it depends on many different things and what one prefers and what is possible with the tools you have. I spent more time planning the order of the steps, I swear and I ended up having to change things as I went when I realized that I couldn't do this with the top on or I had to do the binding before this, but after that and so on, lol. How did you mark out the pup routes and neck route and bridge posts, it seems they are all apart of the same center line your neck should be on, should be fairly easy to line up. The way to keep it easy and precise is templates and center lines. Your best bet for the bridge and stop will be a drill press. Best of luck. J well i did go off the centerline for everything, but when i fit the neck, it must have been off 1?16" or so...so it threw the PUP cavity off.