Looks like you got there in the end, nice one. Btw if you think those snipped frets are sharp, try some stainless steel... After cutting those you have to immediately file the ends cuz they are she-arp!
Practice on scrap...
Another top tip, mask off your nice light coloured maple neck while handling razor sharp snipped fretwires with frozen fingers, it keeps the blood stains off.
@robin My workshop isn’t heated either so at this very cold time of year, I do jobs like fretting (as well as many others, indoors. It doesn’t really make any mess and if it does, I just clean it up and put everything away before my wife complains.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
I have managed to heat my workshop - it is only 9’ x 7’ x 7’ - I have a 1500W oil filled radiator - the room stays above 55°F as long a the door stays shut..... The rest of the space isn’t heated all of the while so using my sander thicknesser, planer, pillar drill or bandsaw needs to be planned in advance.....
Measure once........ Measure again......... Sod it - make tea!
That's the humbucker sockets and neck pocket routed now. I also made the mistake of taking the humbucker sockets to their full depth before doing the neck pocket. I routed very carefully where there was no guide face for the bearing and finished off with a chisel. It worked out well, I've got a tighter fitting neck than my on my first build.
Oh, and the bandsaw works a treat, a nice square cut through the thickness of the body.
That looks great Robin, I like the offset inlays, very nice. Do you know why the neck pocket is tighter, did you do anything different?
Yep I just did that on the humbucker too, routed it to full depth too early, I managed the neck pocket with a long’ish’ router bit and left the neck template in place, but my practice body is thinner so that helped too, lesson learned.
On the course Mark says he made a mistake and routed the neck pocket before cutting out the body shape and that he should have cut the body and then routed the neck pocket. I have read his explanation but in all honesty struggling to see what difference it makes.
I’m still waiting for a router bit for the truss rod so can’t start my practice neck yet.
Looking forward to the next update, it’s very motivating to see others progress.
Give up the news folks, it’s liberating!
Hi Peebee
That looks great Robin, I like the offset inlays, very nice. Do you know why the neck pocket is tighter, did you do anything different?
The inlays on my first build were small and central, I can hardly see them behind the strings when I'm playing. So this time, bigger and offset, I'm hoping that they'll be more obvious.
I made a new template 18mm template, I only had 12mm thick last time, and took more care positioning it. I was also a bit more accurate in shaping the neck heel. In all honesty, I had expected it to be tighter and that I'd have to sand the neck, but it surprised me and fitted in on the first attempt.
On the course Mark says he made a mistake and routed the neck pocket before cutting out the body shape
I think the danger is that the router bit can knock a lump out of the neck pocket, but I'm thinking thats very possible either way you do it. I'm planning on making a sacrificial piece to wedge into to the neck slot while I'm routing the body shape, that way my router guide can't drop into the neck slot like it did last time. I know that its more work, but I've no time constraints or deadlines. I'm finding that there's dividends if I spend more time and care on templates and prep.
Seeing your build progressing is encouraging me to go out into the cold to do a bit more, keep it up.
Control cavity routed now and body shape cut, I'm impressed with how square the bandsaw can cut. I've wedged a temporary piece into the neck pocket to prevent me knocking lumps off when I route the body shape.
Routed the body shape now, the temporary neck socket filler worked a treat. Just a couple of little dinks into side as I was routing round the horns, but they sanded out easily and there's another one exactly where the jack plug is now going to be. Got an auger bit on order for the wiring holes. I'm thinking about carving this one, so some provisional pencil marks on there, I'll need to find Mark's carving video for a reminder on how to do that. Meanwhile I'll sort out the neck depth and angle.
I'll need to find Mark's carving video for a reminder on how to do that.
@robin That’s a great fix with the neck pocket. I did the same thing, I routed the neck pocket before cutting out the body. I then realised that routing around the body would be great until I reached the neck pocket. My fix was to avoid the area, although I could manage to get some of it with the longer router bit but I could only go as deep as the bearing on the bit would stay on the template. The bit that was left, I chopped it off with my bandsaw and than hand sanded the rest. Your solution is much more elegant, well done.
I watched Mark’s video on seamless carving the neck joint last night, I’ll have a go at that on my next build. I still haven’t tried carving a body yet (apart from elbow, belly and knee carves) but it’s on my list. Can’t wait to see your effort, I’m sure it will be great.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
Awesome! You did a very fine job on that Robin!
Tip top, you can be proud of that!
Thanks Matt, yes I am quite pleased with it.😊
