First guitar build

[phavriluk]

I get a similar reaction to the picture, but there's some lemonade to be made here...use that straightedge on top of the neck as it is, sticking up the height of the finished neck and fretted fingerboard, and verify that your neck angle works out well and that straightedge is slightly above the bridge top (slightly above so as to account for the body's rising under string tension).

And somebody please correct me if I'm not thinking straight!

[Jhunt]

To my eye, it appears that the neck is not fully seated. Are you calculating things with the fingerboard added on top of the neck?

No, I’m following what John hall shows in one of his videos. At the end of the neck there is a 1/8” gap between the neck and the soundboard. Then the gap increases to 1/4” at the bridge.?I haven’t incorporated the fretboard in the math.

Well, it is sort of seated. If I clamp it closed the joint will fully seat but the gap at the bridge reduces to only 1/8”.

[TEETERFAN]

If the neck isn’t fully seated, that explains the height difference I noticed in your pictures.

[MaineGeezer]

Back a few: sealing the inside with shellac is a good thing to do. It will help keep the guitar more stable when the humidity changes.
As far as setting the neck, you'll need to adjust the cheeks of the heel to tip the neck up, down, or sideways as required. Put the fingerboard on the neck first. And you may need to use shims. It's perfectly okay to do so. It MIGHT be possible to cut the dovetail perfectly so it all lines up as it should, but I've never been able to do it.

[TEETERFAN]

I am unsure if John’s video covers this, but I found the method of using chalk to show the contact points of the joint helpful. This explains it:

https://guitar.com/guides/diy-workshop/ ... -part-six/

[Jhunt]

I am unsure if John’s video covers this, but I found the method of using chalk to show the contact points of the joint helpful. This explains it:

https://guitar.com/guides/diy-workshop/ ... -part-six/

Thanks. I just tried that before seeing your message. I’m getting closer but not quite there.

[Diane Kauffmds]

You have a cnc? You can use it to thin each side, then join. I built my CNC, but it only has a 12" wide cutting area. I also have a 10" grizzly drum sander, so I thin each side before joining.

Do you know the tape/glue method of "clamping" on a cnc? You cover your cnc bed with tape, then tape the underside of your wood. Apply ca glue to the tape only, pon the underside of your working wood, and place on your cnc bed. When it hardens, you can use the cnc to do your work without having clamps in the way. This is my only method that I use to "clamp" to my cnc. Just use painters tape.

When finished, gently take the piece off of the table, by removing the tape from the table. Then just pull the tape (gently) from under your piece. Pull the tape gently and closely, at an angle to the grain, so you minimize wood pullout. But, if you get some wood pullout, you can just sand it out. Leave a good 1/2 mm more than your final thickness. So, if you want a top that's 0.100" (2.54mm) thick, only thin to 0.12" (3.048mm). This gives you thickness for

The photo shows the tape on the pieces in the cnc.

[Diane Kauffmds]

That neck needs to be flat with the soundboard, and fully seated. Go to about the 30 minute mark in John's video and you'll see.

With the fretboard in place, and your bridge placed on the fretboard, a straight edge should just grace the top of the bridge. When the fretboard is fretted, there will be a gap between your straight edge, and saddle slot of around 1/16" to 1/8"

You're doing a really nice job. Setting a dovetail is intimidating and the first one can take a while. It took me a week to get my first dovetail set. Now I do them in about 15-30 minutes, depending on whether they cooperate. Lol

https://youtu.be/FNcbA1P95KE?si=qU9czmmK3XTKiOor

[Jhunt]

That neck needs to be flat with the soundboard, and fully seated. Go to about the 30 minute mark in John's video and you'll see.

With the fretboard in place, and your bridge placed on the fretboard, a straight edge should just grace the top of the bridge. When the fretboard is fretted, there will be a gap between your straight edge, and saddle slot of around 1/16" to 1/8"

You're doing a really nice job. Setting a dovetail is intimidating and the first one can take a while. It took me a week to get my first dovetail set. Now I do them in about 15-30 minutes, depending on whether they cooperate. Lol

https://youtu.be/FNcbA1P95KE?si=qU9czmmK3XTKiOor

Thanks, Diane. No, I don’t have a cnc. I think I trimmed a bit too much off of the neck section of the dovetail. I placed two pieces of veneer inside the joint and it seemed to lock in place very well, the only issue is that the top of the neck is now proud of the soundboard by about 1/8” (without the fretboard attached).

I’ll revisit john’s video. I think I must have missed the part that you mentioned. The neck is getting close, but it’s not quite there yet.

[Diane Kauffmds]

When you get the neck seated, then you can scribe sand. This is covered in his video. It'll ensure that the neck heel follows the contour of the top of the box, making a professional looking joint.

Not to worry. You're doing fine. Just relax. It'll come together.