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Short break for family stuff - back at it

1) Mark my centerline, location of the 13th fret body join and tenon (bolt on), both edges of the Blanchard truss rod and the carbon fiber location, then trace the edge of the fretboard

2) I get the complimentary angle to my neck angle measurement from the heel to the bridge and mark the sides of the heel and tenon

3) Mark my favorite heel shape and the location of the single neck bolt

1) Cut off the excess length beyond the tenon

2) Drill for the threaded insert, backwards first to set the bit, then forwards

3) Thread it in with a tool I made by cutting off part of a bolt and 2 nuts. It is tall to help in visually lining it up

Why is there a fourth slot for a picture if it won't let me do it??

1) I put a little epoxy in the hole and waxed up the threads of the bolt and insert before I screwed it in - just below the surface

2) I thought I would try a Blanchard Truss Rod. I am building a 13 fret, long scale neck and he makes them all to order, so he could make the right size at no etra cost. It is threaded in 2 different screw pitches (threads-per-inch), both right handed, so working the adjustment nut causes the rod on the left to extend or withdraw

Pictures went in flipped (and in the wrong order) - sorry

1) Route the grooves for the truss rod and the carbon fiber, and make the truss rod cover - don't know why the cover is necessary but everyone seems to use them

2) All glued up

1) Rip the tenon cheeks

2) Cut off the waste at the body joint

3) This big milled-tooth file leaves end grain smooth

1) Now I drill a 1/16" hole in 2 frets through the fretboard into the neck as far apart as possible (#1 and 11 in this case) . . .

2) Take off the fretboard and drive in a 17 gauge nail or brad, and nip it off - now the fretboard registers to the same place each time I put it one the neck

3) Off the saw with a little smoothing with a file, I am about 1/8" low and . . .

1) . . . am 3/16" to right of center, well within flossing distance

2) And the extension barely touches the top, so will be good after tipping the fretboard back

3) Even clearance along both sides

1) Cut out the neck shape . . .

2) . . . remove the waste on the sides of the heel . . .

3) . . . and with a rasp, I take the heel profile down to near the line

I am taking these pictures for my own use so I know what I did and what works - sure hope this is helping some of you even a little

1) Get to see what it will look like. The bridge is a little lower than centered - just what I am after. This matches some of the early Nick Lucas guitars

2) Back too. The colors are great. Here's hoping the thicker top with softer wood and the softwood back will work a little magic at the end

Ed,
At this point in your build, what do you think of the Blanchard rods compared to our usual options?
-d.