Posted by Zero Isacat on October 29, 2009 at 3:54am
Hi everyone. I've learned a lot of cool things on this site and decided to make my own cbg. It's really coming along nicely except for one problem.... If I attach the lid to the neck then the lid will not open. The neck fits in there snugly, but not too tight, it lifts straight up and out easily...but when the lid tries to swing open the neck stops it...on account of it being rectangular and the hole being rectangular I reckon. It's like tryna stick a diamond in a square without turnin' it!
Am I missing something here? I've watched dozens of videos and read a bunch of plans, and I seem to be doing the same things as everyone else. 3/4x1 1/2 notches, neck fits snug, lid fits nice on neck...but won't open.
Luckily I haven't attached it yet, thought I might test it first....glad I did... Please help! I was making such great progress.
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
I go with Roosterman and just put some amount, you won't need much, relief on the area of the box that is binding on the neck. Then it will open and close sweetly. If there are any 'gaps', don't worry, it will let more sound out.
I assume this is a stick-through-box CBG. Just so we are on the same page, there are two general kinds of boxes--a paper-covered wooden box and a stained wood box. Which kind of box are you using? My experience is with the paper covered wooden box.
For the paper covered box, the neck is attached (glued) to the main part of the box, and the lid flips down on top of it, which is why you relieve the part of the neck the lid fits into. Once the strings go on, the CBG has to be unstrung to get inside the box. I use escutcheon pins to pin down the edges of the lid to the box as well as pinning the lid to the neck. These pins need to be removed as well as the strings to open the lid.
The stained wooden boxes tend to have deep, more fitted lids, which I don't have much experience with, but I can see that this could be a problem if you are trying to get the lid to swing on a hinge. It may be the you would need to have the hinges on the tailpiece end of the box rather than on the side so the lid lifts straight off the neck rather than across it.
One thing other folks have done is to use the bottom of the box as the top, with the lid opening on the back of the CBG.
All the solutions above are great. My solution was simple as well. Remove the lid from the box altogether and glue/screw it to the neck -- if you want a neck-to-lid configuration. Then I used 1/2"x1/2" vertical posts of poplar along the short edges (corners or on the sides of the neck) that I could screw the lid back onto. Makes for more screws on the lid but holds really well. You can also remove the lid by unscrewing the lid, and sliding it out from the strings. that way you don't have to remove the strings.
I struggled with this one also. In the end I did not use a hinge. I used blocks on the back of the neck that attached to the box with a pin and and a bolt. Holds it together very well and the innards can be accessed if needed. It's not like you have to open the thing all the time. —B
All my builds are done so the lid wont open unless the strings are off and you unscrew 3 or 4 screws.
I'd rather be able to make sure the box and neck are tight and stay where I put them. Being able to open the lid easily isnt a priority for me.
I had this issue on one of my builds as well. Instead of glueing the neck to the lid, I put 2 blocks under the neck, and glued it to the bottom. Worked like a charm. The only downside with that is you can't open the box unless the strings are removed (not a big deal).
Yep, we all have the same problem! You would be suprised how little relief the cut out in the box needs to let the lid open though - depending on how thick your neck is - 3/4 " wont need much relief at all.
The other option is not to glue your neck in at all - let the pressure of the strings hold it in place.
Yeah, that is same problem what comes my mind. if make neck hole bigger at lid can open, then slot between neck and box might be looks bad.
What kind hinge there is in between lid and box?
Maybe you can dismount hinge( take hinge pin off) or take whole hinge off the box and put it back.
if hinge is paper, medical blade is sharp. Chemist's shops sell disposable blades, they are sharp and you can use it quite long. Hope this helps to you.
Replies
I assume this is a stick-through-box CBG. Just so we are on the same page, there are two general kinds of boxes--a paper-covered wooden box and a stained wood box. Which kind of box are you using? My experience is with the paper covered wooden box.
For the paper covered box, the neck is attached (glued) to the main part of the box, and the lid flips down on top of it, which is why you relieve the part of the neck the lid fits into. Once the strings go on, the CBG has to be unstrung to get inside the box. I use escutcheon pins to pin down the edges of the lid to the box as well as pinning the lid to the neck. These pins need to be removed as well as the strings to open the lid.
The stained wooden boxes tend to have deep, more fitted lids, which I don't have much experience with, but I can see that this could be a problem if you are trying to get the lid to swing on a hinge. It may be the you would need to have the hinges on the tailpiece end of the box rather than on the side so the lid lifts straight off the neck rather than across it.
One thing other folks have done is to use the bottom of the box as the top, with the lid opening on the back of the CBG.
Best regards, Willie
-Wes
I'd rather be able to make sure the box and neck are tight and stay where I put them. Being able to open the lid easily isnt a priority for me.
The other option is not to glue your neck in at all - let the pressure of the strings hold it in place.
What kind hinge there is in between lid and box?
Maybe you can dismount hinge( take hinge pin off) or take whole hinge off the box and put it back.
if hinge is paper, medical blade is sharp. Chemist's shops sell disposable blades, they are sharp and you can use it quite long. Hope this helps to you.