Monthly Archives: March 2015

Time to start rough shaping the back of the neck. I mainly use (see picture above): Japanese two-handed rasp (left) Japanese half round carving file (mid) Stanley flat bottomed spokeshave (right)

After the clamps came off: Cut headstock to thickness. Aim is 16mm thick, though I suffered a lot of blade wander. After tightening the blade and going very slowly, it’s 17mm at the top and 18.5mm at nut side. Hopefully … Continue reading →

I’m taking a very different approach to building the body this project. Normally I build a 6mm MDF template, copy that to a 12mm MDF template and use that with a template cutter on my router to make the body. … Continue reading →

A lot slower day (and I didn’t have as long working on it): Drilled the hole at the end of the neck for the truss rod with a 10mm lip and spur bit using a piece scrap of wood to … Continue reading →

Neck build process (pictures below): Template made in 6mm MDF. Neck measurements came from an Excel spreadsheet (which I’ll refine over time) Number of frets: 21 Neck end fret: 22 (i.e. neck finishes were the 22nd fret would be) Body … Continue reading →

Wood purchased: Neck Blank: Birdseye maple AAA, Size: 780mm x 100mm x 25mm Fretboard: Rosewood – 24.75″ scale (precisely and not the “Gibson” 24.75″) Body Blank: Swamp ash: Single Piece: 490mm x 370mm x 45mm Body Top: Birdseye maple: 5-7mm … Continue reading →