2012 TDPRI Tele Build Challenge - Day 3

So I had help in the basement today. That's Scout and she's inspecting the cut of the fretboard.

Before cutting slots for the frets I marked the depth of just under 3mm on the side by each cut I planned to make.

 

After cutting all the slots I cut the fretboard to just slightly wider than the neck. I will clean this up with a router.

2012 TDPRI Tele Build Challenge Day 2

Very productive day in the basement today. I have made great progress on the neck today. First I cut the head stock down to slightly larger than 1/2" removing excess wood. Late I will use a router to plane this to a thickness of about 1/2".

After  drawing the basic shape of the neck, I cut to just outside the lines.

I used double stick tape to secure my jig to the neck blank. And then used a table router to clean up the sides.

Next I used a curved router bit to shape the space where the headstock will meet the fretboard. After routing I taped a metal scraper to the head stock and moved on to a sanding bit on the drill press.

This gives me a nice curve from the headstock to the face of the neck.



























Next up, I glued extra wood to the edges of the headstock to help it take shape. I used Titebond and several clamps to hold the wood in place. I used clamped both the neck and the extra wood to the table in order to ensure that the wood be flat across the back.

After the glue cures overnight, I will be able to cut the shape, plane the surface and drill holes for the tuners. I've also prepped a miter box for the fret board which I hope to work on this week. I am surprised at how quickly this has progressed, I have spent less than 8 hours over two days this weekend working on the neck.

One-Piece Neck Progress

Fret Slots

Today's progress: cutting fret slots and gluing the truss-rod in place. First I very slowly and carefully cut 22 fret slots on the face of the neck. Remember there is no fretboard here. Since the truss-rod is sitting about 6mm behind the face of the neck, I had to be careful not to cut the slots too deep. I marked both sides of the neck at approximately 3.5mm. And as I cut the slots I checked both sides trying to insure that I did not cut too deep. I also used two clamps and a block of wood along with my fret miter box to keep the angle of my cuts straight.

Before I seat the frets I will radius the neck to 16 inches using sand paper and a radius block.

Skunk Stripe

After I slotted the frets, I ran a thin line of regular household caulk down the truss-rod channel, before setting it in place. The truss-rod that I am using on this neck is a double action rod that I purchased from LMI.

I then prepped my skunk stripe - a 1/4 inch strip of maple 17 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch deep. I rounded the edges using my table router. I roughed  up the sides with 120 grit sand paper, and then covered it with Titebond wood glue.

I then very slowly pushed it into the truss-rod channel. Covering it with wax paper before applying the clamps. I let this sit for about 30 minutes.

 

After the glue dried, I used the scraper to take off the excess glue and wood. The final shaping of the neck will smooth the back out further. I'll get to that in a couple of weeks.

Next up, I will drill the holes for the face position markers and side dots. I'm also eyeing another piece of maple as another potential one-piece neck. This was a very satisfying process for me - very little frustration on this neck.

New Neck Blanks

Today, I continued working on the three neck blanks that I started on late last week. The neck on top is the one-piece Bloodwood. I routed the truss rod channel to slightly more than 3/4 of an inch deep. The truss rod channels on the two Purple Heart blanks was closer to 1/2 inch deep. I made several passes with the router, taking off about 1/16 inch each time. I still need to route a hole on the opposite side of the Bloodwood neck where the truss adjusting nut will stick out on the headstock.

I also used a neck jig cut the sides straight on the table router for the Bloodwood neck and the top Purple Heart. I still have to work out some of the dimensions on the bottom Purple Heart, since that neck blank will likely end up on the Firebird project.

I will be installing three different types of truss rods in these necks. The Bloodwood neck on the right will be taking a small double action rod. The Purple Heart on the left will be using a slightly larger double action rod. While the purple heart in the middle will be taking a single action rod. The double action truss rods will adjust for both upbow and backbow. On the two Purple Heart necks the rods will be covered by fret-boards. The Bloodwood neck will have a maple plug (or skunk stripe down the center.

My next step will be to cut the thickness of the headstocks down to about 5/8 of an inch. Later, I will sand them down to about a 1/2 inch. I also will drill the tuner holes at that time.

In addition to these three necks I have another piece of Purple Heart that will yield two more blanks and a piece of Padauk and a couple if pieces of Maple, that I'd like to start working on for more necks. Given the number of mistakes that I have made on neck construction over the past two years, it's not a bad idea to have several neck projects going at the same time. Expect more neck updates in the coming weeks.

One Piece Neck Project

Thanks to the cold and dreary weather here in Ohio, I've had to lay off of the clear coating for the last couple of weeks. I have still been able to apply shellac to the Red Special body and neck. Largely because I have either been brushing it on the body or French polishing the fret-board. I have had to refrain from spraying the Strat and Tele bodies, since the smell is just too strong for indoors.

Instead, I've turned my attention to constructing the necks for the next few builds that I am planning for 2012. The photo above is of a bloodwood blank that I cut today. The photo does not do the figuring on this piece of wood justice. This will be my first attempt at a one-piece neck. It is about 1 1/8 inch thick - which will be perfect this project. I've cut out the basic shape and will route the truss rod channel soon. (I know, I probably should have routed the truss rod channel first - a mistake on my part? Perhaps, it certainly would have been easier that way.)

I also had enough Bloodwood left over that I should be able to use it ti make an interesting pick guard.

For those not familiar with the one piece necks, the fret-board and the neck are just that - one piece. While the truss rod channel is routed through the back of the neck and plugged with a contrasting wood. In this case I will probably opt for maple. This plug is often referred to as a skunk stripe. You can see this on the back of many Fender maple necks.

By the way, the Purple Heart that the neck blank is laying on will be two more necks. One of them will eventually end up on the Firebird project that I have been neglecting these last few months - my third attempt.

Red Special

The truss rod channel is cut, and the neck and body take shape.