RVA

I really like my Hakko. I have something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=asc_df_B00ANZRT4M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198093934741&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3740129149273455112&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004511&hvtargid=pla-379180582979&psc=1

Beautiful! I love the color. You might find that it grows on you.

I also like that they went with the 9.5 radius over the historical 7.25 (personal preference). Congrats on a great guitar!

4 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

That said, you will get equally good results by screwing two pieces of 2x2 on a board and clamping/wedging your neck blank between them.

Thank you. I will consider that option as this does seem like a lot of work!

Mates, I am gonna build this jig for the truss rod channel. I may have some questions about the process once it is dome

Very nicely done. So you used the handheld router? And what did you do to mitigate the risks?

Pardon my enthusiasm for something so basic, but it is my first scarf joint, all glued up. Not perfect, but I think it will do the job. It would have been wide enough to make  3 necks had I not put in the reference screws for glue-up , but that would have required a winged headstock for each. I will save efficiency for next time

A slight lip still apparent at the end of the join line due to the angled cut. I will run the top over the planer to even that out

I still can't figure out exactly how this uneven line happened,  I ran the bottom of the blank through the planer. I used a 1/2" resaw blade. The sides were not parallel, but I do not think that is the reason. Maybe the 10 degree entry point is a bit shallow. Maybe just technique!

7 minutes ago, curtisa said:

Is it a ledge or a gouge? If it's a ledge you need to get the two surfaces as flat as you can, otherwise you'll struggle to get the two pieces to glue together properly.

A gouge probably won't affect anything structurally, but will present itself as a thick glue line in the scarf once the neck is cut and shaped.

Either way you're better off getting it out.

Thank you. It is the uneven line from my uneven cut. The bandsaw entered at an uneven angle. I will keep on sanding!

Mates,

I have sanded thse wedges nice and smooth. However,  i have an uneven ledge and board ends identified at the pencil line. Do I need to keep going until this is gone? I do not have the forsight to figure this out.

Thanks for any advice 

I am glad I asked. Nice!

That is beautiful! Can we see the back?

10 minutes ago, curtisa said:

If you leave the width wide you can utilise the excess either side of the neck for useful things like locating pins if you need to.

For example, gluing up the scarf can be a bit tricky as the two surfaces want to slide apart once clamping pressure and wet glue is applied. If you drill a pair of small holes through the two pieces at the outermost edges before gluing up, you can then push some nails through the holes after you apply glue and prevent the two pieces from slipping all over the place.

Thank you. I will do that and now feel much better about the extra effort!

Question: Should I have cut some width off before the scarf cut?

I didn't because I wanted to leave as much room for error as possible in the steps to follow.  However, if I had, I could have done this on the table saw, or made a smoother cut on the bandsaw.

So I went at it with a 1/2 3 tpi resaw blade. I got a ledge and saw marks, but I am no longer a scarf cut virgin

A few passes on the jointer got rid of the ledge, but there is still a bit of an angle at the joint line.

In the end, for my first attempt, it seems like a fair starting point

4 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

As your pictorial shows you obviously kept it for testing purposes. Less perfect pieces also work well as clamping supports and guiding fences.

Those are some good uses for substandard wood.  Thanks.

8 hours ago, curtisa said:

Lower your blade guides too. You'll get better results if the upper blade guide is only just tall enough to allow the workpiece to pass underneath. You only need to expose as much the blade teeth as is necessary to complete the cut. The more the length of the blade is unsupported the more chance there is for the blade to flex and deflect as the cut is made.

Thank you.  Yes, I certainly forgot to do lower the guard on the first try, as I sometimes do. 

21 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

I'm guessing you started from the ledge side... you could start from the other side to prevent it... but honestly given that it's on the top of the guitar... a little sanding and fine.  

I'm no bandsaw expert but when you are trying to make a straight cut generally a wider bade is the ticket... and lots of tension.  I don't think a fine blade would be best because it's going to cut slower and you will be more likely to pull things out of wack.  I'd go for a coarse cut and plan on some sanding... but ymmv.

 

Good advice, thank you!

14 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

hadn't realized you have such a nice bandsaw... might put mine to work more if it was as nice as that.  it looks like it's going to need sanding, but pretty minimal.  nice work.

 

Thanks! Yes, there will most certainly be sanding. Maybe a deeper and finer blade would help

I am getting a ledge, but I a subsequent attempt indicates that I was likely forcing the cut. 

So, since my 10" table saw gave me limited cutting height, I decided to go with the bandsaw. 

I got a zero zeroplay miter slot bar thanks to @mistermikev suggestion

I made 10 degree angle stops from both directions so I could choose which side I want front/back and top/bottom. I then picked the worst possible piece of wood I could find. I am not really sure why I kept it around, but I hate wasting wood.

Anyway,  it worked! I need to try with a clean piece of  hardwood to see if this 3/8 blade is sufficient or if I should get a high TPI resaw blade

I think your numbers are all low, except for the 3-way switch - $25?

As for time/effort/cost etc,, I think it is a losing proposition. This is a labor of love. Recoupment is possible, profit is fortuitous for the unknown and non- mechanized builder (a cnc machine does help)

I learned to work with guitars by buying $100-300 guitars and seeing how close I could get them to sound and play to my Tom Anderson and PRS guitars. IMHO, I got darn close, and certainly more than enough for the player who is more interested in playability than name and how thick the figured top is. It caused me to ask myself who would ever want to build a guitar, a question I still ask myself, often in the middle of a frustrating build. The answer I came up with is someone who enjoys it, which I do, right now.

Since then, I stopped thinking about the cost. The build provides satisfaction that cannot be purchased. Even if I sold a guitar for cost, I would be happy knowing that guitars I made were making music and making players happy. I like seeing them on my wall and knowing that I created it, similar to the feeling of many jobs I can look over afterwards and appreciate as a job well done. Unfortunately,  I don't enjoy playing them as much as I should (too critical of my own work)

You are an artist brother. Create for art's sake.

Sorry for the long non-answer!!

Thanks to all the helpful advice here, I was able to wrap my head around the measurements for my scarf joint cut. I will have 1" on the headstock side and about 2 inches on the FB side for error. I realize that my miter saw is too shallow to make the cut in this location. So it is either the table saw with a jig like Mike suggested or the band saw. I am more comfortable with the band saw, and my table saw is not great, but it does square well. Decisions!

Here is my first victim.

FB side

Cut line

Back of neck

Truly amazing work, the kind that reminds me how much I have to learn, and how excited I am to learn it. Also, some great ideas here. Keep 'em coming and thanks!

As your sig line says: "We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."

4 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

well... taking on a scarf joint for your very first neck is pretty brave

I will create the jig and practice on a bunch of 2x4 fist!

Thanks for the advice on the build order. That makes sense to me. 

I will use a Tele template for the nut down and a Gibson headstock template.  I have a jointer and planer for flattening. Now all I need is some time and some nerve!

36 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

perhaps thick enough for resaw or are you doing slip matched?  

I thought 15/16 x 30" would be just adequate as a neck blank. The width is a bit much, but offcuts are always useful!

I do enjoy sourcing wood. My main concern is actually being able to create a neck out of one.  I am stalled in my first start, which did not happen with bodies. I guess step 1 is the scarf  joint, right?

More wood. I got a great price on these three boards. 15/16 x 5 1/2 x 30. About $ 25 each with shipping and sales tax. Now I have plenty of room for error.