What's the best method of cutting down the part of the board for the headstock? I tried to do it with a small hacksaw tonight and almost ruined a perfectly good oak 1x2. I need to shave it down to 9/16ths for my tuner bushings to fit right. About all I have for cutting tools are 2 hacksaws, a handheld skillsaw and a Dremel. The handsaw didn't work, so I'm thinking I need to get blades for the skillsaw. However, I'm not sure if that will make a straight cut either.
How do you guys get a smooth, straight cut for your headstocks?
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Thanks for the input and suggestions, everyone. I think right now, I'm either going to try and find someone with a bandsaw or I'm gonna have to file it down with a rasp. I messed up the first board and burned up my Dremel bit before even getting halfway through the board. It will probably end up becoming a one string diddley bow for my daughter. I got a new board today and now I have to widen my box hole by 1/16th. The new board is just that much wider and doesn't fit. Ah, well. Better that way than being smaller and having a hole that's too big.
Browse thu my photos at the headstocks of the black partagas the white arturo fuente and the guantanamera. Those are cut by those saws, I thinks its called a scarf joint, I measure 6" back from top of headstock and mark where nut will be. I measure down around 3/16th and mark, then use a 11* angle( I think) back to top. I cut that piece flip it over and glue flat side to flat side and shape.
These are my favorite hand saws so far, I dont have a band saw so when I cut my headstock I use one of my two marples pull saws. The larger has a more aggresive tooth and will require some clean up but goes like butter. The smaller is a sweet little saw and leaves a nice clean cut, I clamp my neck in a vertical position so I can saw easily. The hacksaw I put a grind and polish on to use as a spokeshave, scraper....
That is a really good approach, no complicated angles (easy to do if you have the gear) and I also like the Zero fret idea. It means careful placement of your tuning pins, but if they come out wrong it is easy fixed with a positioning screw. Nice head.
Sven Pfitt said:
Well, now that is just plain sweet!
Sven
Diane said:
Another way around this, for those of us with no band saw and no table saw, is to make a dogleg neck. 1/2" stock for the main part of the neck. Attach a fingerboard on the top (1/4, 3/8, 1/2) and attach the thickness you need for your tuners to the back of the head. There is an overlap of something like an inch. This means you might have to move your nut down the fingerboard a bit, so you don't bash your hand into it when you play on fret #1 (which for me is never). You can see here my "nut" - really a zero fret - is right at the end. MIght have been better to scootch it down a bit.
Well, now that is just plain sweet! Sven
Diane said:
Another way around this, for those of us with no band saw and no table saw, is to make a dogleg neck. 1/2" stock for the main part of the neck. Attach a fingerboard on the top (1/4, 3/8, 1/2) and attach the thickness you need for your tuners to the back of the head. There is an overlap of something like an inch. This means you might have to move your nut down the fingerboard a bit, so you don't bash your hand into it when you play on fret #1 (which for me is never). You can see here my "nut" - really a zero fret - is right at the end. MIght have been better to scootch it down a bit.
Now that's CBG nation enguinuity right there!!!
Brian Lemin said:
I found this bit of "girder" in an aluminium suppliers junk box. I think it could be made from Perspex too. I like the idea of perspex as you can see through it.
When I first used it I over tightened the hose clips and the drill ran hot. So beware.
It is not the best gizmo I have made but it works reasonably well, and I have been glad to have it.
I found this bit of "girder" in an aluminium suppliers junk box. I think it could be made from Perspex too. I like the idea of perspex as you can see through it. When I first used it I over tightened the hose clips and the drill ran hot. So beware. It is not the best gizmo I have made but it works reasonably well, and I have been glad to have it.
I am busy at the moment! But i will take some pics of my DIY Dremel router stand.
William Bannier said:
I would love to have a bandsaw and a table saw. No money and a garage full of yardsale items keeps that from happening though. Truthfully, if I had those two, I would probably do a lot more woodworking. I miss doing that with my grandfather. My uncles ended up with all his tools though.
How do I keep the Dremel from going too deep? Seems like eyeballing it would be risky at best.
Wichita Sam said:
William, with your tool set, if I had a router attachment for the dremel, that's what I'd use...
I have a bandsaw that gets a lot of action around the headstock..
I just file it down and shape it with a bastard rasp and then sand smooth once I've got it thin enogh to fit the tuning pegs. It usually takes about 10 minutes for Poplar, 15 or 20 for oak. Works up a little sweat and I usually wear some leather gloves to avoid friction burns on my pickin fingers.
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Sven Pfitt said:
Diane said:
Brian Lemin said:
William Bannier said:
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