Some of my necks are a little too thick. I'm trying to save a step here. I use a 1/2" router bit to round over my 3/4" neck but when I add my 1/4" fretboard onto it, it seems too thick. Do you route the neck after you glue the fretboard onto the neck?

Views: 283

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I like to use a plane and rasp until there is almost flat left on the back of the neck.

On some fretless builds I route the fingerboard with the same bit you use.,.,it makes it easier to hit the outer strings alone.,.,sort of like a violin.,.,for lighter strings you could thin the neck a little.,.,for heavier strings you need that 1 inch thickness.,.,unless you are using a truss rod, laminate neck, or using carbon fiber rods.,.,if you like thinner give it a try .,.,.no rules here.,.,

I meant "almost no flat"

Take a close look at the neck of any electric guitar and you'll see that it is very thin at the neck/headstock joint. That's a good indicator that you can thin out the neck quite a bit so that it's comfortable to play. If you are using a good hardwood for the neck (maple, mahogany, oak) then with only three or four  strings, you are not stressing the neck if you thin it out.\

My current necks are 1 1/4" at the nut and 1 1/2" at the box I use a wood rasp to fully round the neck and thin it out so it feels good to play. A rasp for basic shaping and an 80 grit disk on a 5" sanding disk in a hand drill does the needed work in short order. No need to work up a sweat to get a nice neck shape.

Go ahead and thin that sucker out.

I shave my necks like this: 

I do tend to thin the neck a little when I thin the headstock on the bandaw.

very cool! Thanks everyone for your ideas. I use hardwood. I guess I'm just not finishing the neck well enough. Thanks again everyone!

I have a spoke shave that I use to shape the back of the neck whether I add fret board or not.  A router is a good way to remove a lot of material quickly and easily, but the resulting shape feels a bit chunky.  A spoke shave is a hand tool but works quite quickly even at a shallow depth.  You could also easily taper the thickness along the length with it if you like.

Keep in mind, unless you have a truss rod you can't thin the neck too much or it will box under stress, especially with a 4 string.  That said, a spoke shave allows you to sculpt exactly the shape you want: round, D-shaped, V-shaped, whatever.  I have one guitar with a 1/4 fret board that is V-shaped; the fretboard gives it a lot of thickness so it's not bowing.  I have a 4 string with no fret board built from a 1x2.  I rounded the back but left as much material as I could to keep it from bowing.

Even with this method, if I leave the slightest bit of flat from the original board on the back you can instantly feel it when you grab the neck.  It takes a delicate hand to cut out all the flat and leave enough mass to no bow.

Scott

Some of the tools you can use for Neck work ,planes ,oak peelers ,or just basic electric tools.

RSS

The Essential Pages

New to Cigar Box Nation? How to Play Cigar Box GuitarsFree Plans & How to Build Cigar Box GuitarsCigar Box Guitar Building Basics

Site Sponsor

Recommended Links & Resources


Forum

crossover guitar.

Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 21. 11 Replies

Tune up songs

Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies

Duel output jacks

Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies

How to Get Your Own Music on Spotify

Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 21. 2 Replies

CB Bass Guitar

Started by Mi Rankin in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Justin Stanchfield Jan 27. 5 Replies

Latest Activity

smilingdog1 commented on 3 String Blues's video
43 minutes ago
smilingdog1 liked 3 String Blues's video
44 minutes ago
smilingdog1 liked Glenn Kaiser's video
46 minutes ago
Doug Thorsvik posted a video

Hail the Resurrection Day: 2-String Violin Chugger Cigar Box Guitar

Cigar Box Guitar Slingers - Spokane, 195th Zoom Mtg 03/25/24. Only 1-finger chords, free songbooks here: https://www.cbgslinger.com/download CBG SOF Songbook...
2 hours ago
A.D.EKER commented on A.D.EKER's video
Thumbnail

Im Troubled (Tribute) Mc K Morganfield by BCB - A.D .Eker 2024.

"Thank you Poorness ! for loving it ! appreciated!"
18 hours ago
Southern Ray replied to Timothy Hunter's discussion just came accross this pickup idea on youtube.
" Very interesting. Thank you Timothy!"
18 hours ago
Kent Thurston updated their profile
19 hours ago
Southern Ray posted a photo

Punch Project!

She now sports gold metal CBGitty knobs, speaker and an Artec 2.5 watt speaker. Finished this in…
20 hours ago
Southern Ray posted a photo

Project Punch!

Gonna finally get back on this long-delayed project that is more than half complete. (The matching…
20 hours ago
Poorness Studios liked A.D.EKER's video
22 hours ago
BrianQ. left a comment for Rob (Uker) Porras
"Hope this helps?"
22 hours ago
Doug Thorsvik commented on Doug Thorsvik's photo
Thumbnail

Dueling Flatheads

"I appreciate the kind words Papa D! I have always loved the look of these cigar boxes. Glad to have…"
yesterday

Music

© 2024   Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

\uastyle>\ud/** Scrollup **/\ud.scrollup {\ud background: url("https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/963882636?profile=original") no-repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;\ud bottom: 25px;\ud display: inline !important;\ud height: 40px;\ud opacity: 0.3 !important;\ud position: fixed;\ud right: 30px;\ud text-indent: -9999px;\ud width: 40px;\ud z-index: 999;\ud}\ud.scrollup:hover {\ud opacity:0.99!important;\ud}\ud \uascript type="text/javascript">\ud x$(document).ready(function(){\ud x$(window).scroll(function(){\ud if (x$(this).scrollTop() > 100) {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeIn();\ud } else {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeOut();\ud }\ud });\ud x$('.scrollup').click(function(){\ud x$("html, body").animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, 600);\ud return false;\ud });\ud });\ud \ua!-- End Scroll Up -->