Neck Shaping & Truss Rod
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The neck template is drawn
round leaving a 5mm
margin - the template is
held in place by the fillet
of wood in its centre
which is a snug fit in
the truss rod slot
The headstock is also
marked out with a template
leaving a 5mm margin
The neck ready for roughing
out to shape on the
bandsaw
The neck after rough
cutting to shape ...
... and from the back
The roughed-out neck
is then fitted in a
purpose-designed jig,
the template is refitted
to the neck and the edges
routed to shape - in this
first pass the cutter
bearing runs on the
template edge
On the second pass, the
template is removed and
the cutter bearing runs
on the previously routed
edge
The neck edges routed
to shape
The neck is then swapped
round and the headstock
template double-side-taped
in place before routing
The headstock after the
first pass of the router
showing the first cut -
the cutter bearing has
run along the template
edge
The template is removed ...
... and a second pass of
the router finishes
the job
The Gotoh double-acting
truss rod is pressed
firmly home into the slot
A previously prepared
maple fillet has glue applied
sparingly to its very edge
before it is forced home
in the slot, encapsulating
the truss rod neatly -
the fillet is clamped
while it dries
The fillet after the glue
has hardened
The excess fillet wood
is planed away, and the
neck top finished gently
with a sanding block and
scraper
The finished neck blank
is now ready to receive
its fingerboard
Fingerboard Preparation & Gluing >>>