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I must be doing something wrong, but I'm having a hard time finding a video on neck building from start to finish. I am starting with a 3x4 block of Mahogany,enough for two necks plus blocks. I want to precut the dovetail joints. I do have that neck jig from Luthier Tools, but I'm not confident enough to cut the joint when in the body yet. Building necks for the OLF SJ.

Resources appreciated

Mike

Charlie Hoffman has a great website full of info on how he does things. I would guess his eoght pages of info on building necks would be helpful.

http://www.hoffmanguitars.com/building_a_guitar.htm

Good luck

Dave

It's interesting. So little (as far as I can tell) on neck building. There are plenty of carving technique videos. I was hoping for something a bit more comprehensive. Guess I'm nervous about this.

Hey Mike,

If you can't find what you're looking for, I'm sure a detailed description of where you are at on the Neck and what your questions are, will get you plenty of help here on the OLF.

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Well Blain, I didn't really want to bother folks with this since it is such a big aspect of building. I honestly figured I'd find a "soup to nuts" video somewhere. I even asked John Hall and he has yet to tackle this. I think (like myself) many of us turn to pros who focus on just making necks. But the guy I used to deal with stopped doing it. Honestly, I never thought he much enjoyed what he was doing. Maybe not enough money in it. He did do good work though. Maybe I'm reading that situation wrong. Anyways, that leaves me a point A. Big old 3x4 block of mahogany. Enough for two necks. I have the pattern (OLF-SJ), etc. And the Luthier Tools neck jig (gen 2) for the dovetail joint. I intend to cut the blocks before install since I am not yet confident of doing that after the box is built. So the neck jig is a bit of overkill at the moment, but the end vises and patterns are excellent. Speaking of, I need a 7 deg dovetail bit. I have all the tools. Except rasps and spokeshave.

Get a good book. Benedetto's archtop building book presents a streamlined approach to neck building that I have been using for a few years, even for flattops.

Mike,
Yep, like Barry said. For step-by-step instructions I invariably find myself going back to the Cumpiano/Natelson book. I usually adapt my processes from there, but it helps me understand what needs to be done.

Have you searched YouTube for luthier tools neck jig or similar wording? Robbie O'Brien has covered just about everything at this point, so that would be a good place to start. He uses mostly LMI tools, but no matter th jig we're all going for the same geometry. Jon Simpson has some nice videos on his jigs as well.

If I had your jig, I'd just make up some test dummies out of scrap wood and practice cutting both parts of the joint. Heck, that's a great jig and the whole point is to make things easier on yourself. What you're proposing is actually harder to accomplish. I'd just practice it a few times, eat a sandwich and ponder what I was doing, practice it a few more times and go for it.

That's how I figure stuff out anyway. Yeah, I make mistakes, but it's just wood.

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George :-)

Here's a little tutorial I did a while back, it 's in this thread. It's for a two part neck but all would apply to a one piece.

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=43068&p=569470&hilit=Neck#p569470

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

OK, will do. BTW, how do I practice without cutting a real box? That's my concern. Yes, I can practice on blocks of wood. And I will.

Thanks!

Mike

BTW, the neck jig document suggests that I use a 1/2" shank dovetail bit. I have several (3) Bosch Colt routers (I love them). One is mounted to that expensive plunge mechanism I bought off the classified forum (same guys make those precision collets). Can I safely use a 1/4" shank dovetail bit?

I cut out my neck blanks to shape accurately, then use a round over bit in a router table to shape the neck, provided the thickness is real close to final thickness very little work is needed, taking small cuts is the key , takes a little practice , I also like using quarter sawn sapele and buy big boards to cut out blanks, available at wood dealers and last board I found at my local woodcraft.

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MK5acoustics.com

A 1/4 inch shank dovetail bit will work if you first cut most of the neck pocket with a straight bit. You can make a larger subbase for your trimmer out of a piece of lexan or plexi (if necessary) to span the neck pocket.

I suggest you just make up some practice blanks from Doug Fir or Poplar...cheap investment. Make some necks with that wood. If you mess up, no loss. Nothing teaches you better than just diving in. I suspect that you will find that the learning curve is pretty short.
As for routing the dovetail pocket after the box is together, I suggest that that is preferable to fabricating a neck block with the dovetail mortise already cut. Verrrry difficult to align the block when you glue up the sides. Much better to rout the pocket after it's all together.
It's only wood...have a go.

OK, I'm gonna practice. I guess when I get to the point of cutting the pocket, I can ask a lot more questions.

I really like the sequence in Trevor Gore's "Build" book, but it's broken up throughout the book.

Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9 of Robbie O'Brien's Online Acoustic Guitar Building Course are really good, and sound like what you're looking for.