So Anyway...

@SG John, can you explain trig?
Doc beat me for the reply. Yes, trigonometry. I draw everything on paper first. The neck angle will influence the bridge post location.
Also @SG John, school me if you can ( general gist of things is fine)

Let's say I am at a point where I have a body all shaped and the rout cut in for the neck pocket and pickup routs. Now it is time to fab up the neck from a block of wood. I am venturing to guess we start with a larger depth " stick" in order to fab up the headstock and tenon angles in order to shape the front and back of the neck in between these 2 areas.

Of course, like I said, my guess on how-to would be to figure on cutting the angle on the tenon in order to yield the 3-5* degree angle once inserted in the mortise.

What say you?

I won't do a neck mortise until the neck tenon is finished. That way, I can fit the tenon to the mortise while the routing jig is still set up, and the router is at the same depth as my last cut.
 
Doc beat me for the reply. Yes, trigonometry. I draw everything on paper first. The neck angle will influence the bridge post location.


I won't do a neck mortise until the neck tenon is finished. That way, I can fit the tenon to the mortise while the routing jig is still set up, and the router is at the same depth as my last cut.

When I was building my Von Herndon models, all the routing was done for me by B.Hefner.

I would install the lower straplock post and run patlrachute cord through the tuner holes as if lacing a shoe.

About 1/2 way down the neck, I would tie the ends together and run a wood dowel into a loop.

Once I glued the neck, i would wind the cord like a tourniquet and then tie it along the fretboard, keeping high pressure on the joint.

Of course, all my neck joints were a unique tongue and groove type of modified tenon in that the bottom of the neck had a "wing" machined into it that fit into a second "stepped" slot in the body.

That was a B.Hefner thing. On my DoubleNeck you absolutely cannot flex the necks.
 
Trigonometry Chilli. Can use measurements and angles to figure things out.

View attachment 82888

I knew John meant trigonometry, or at least I presumed so. I just could not see how trig can set one's saw or router guide etc to exactly a 3,4,5,etc degree angle on a 3x3x36 block of wood. I guess I am too much of a bits n pieces thinker vs a engineer it, math it, physics it, math it type.

In my mind, in order to get the tenon in a " bent down" position to slide into a flat/horizontal mortise in the guitar body, a neck has to have a down turn in relation to the body in order to get a down turn along the neck's long axis.
 
This is what I mean. I will overlay the thought process I have outlined in green on your trig drawing, Dono.

Guitar neck Trig.png

How does Trig make it work? To me it is set a tool or saw or jig, guide etc to the 3 degrees and cut out the wood to yield the angle. A bevel square and a protractor, or other angle measuring devices can be used to confirm the angle.

Help me understand how you get the rectangular block of wood into all the angles, curves, perfectly symmetrical, perfectly centered, fits just right glue in neck.

Ya see, I can comprehend it with bolt in Fender style horizontal to horizontal neck to neck pocket fit. that rely on the swoop dropped head stock with or without string tree Fender bolt on method. BUT the glue in ones fight my brain on just what tools and in what order get used to essentially sculpt a neck out of a block of wood similar to August Rodin carving out THE THINKER.
 
I knew John meant trigonometry, or at least I presumed so. I just could not see how trig can set one's saw or router guide etc to exactly a 3,4,5,etc degree angle on a 3x3x36 block of wood. I guess I am too much of a bits n pieces thinker vs a engineer it, math it, physics it, math it type.

In my mind, in order to get the tenon in a " bent down" position to slide into a flat/horizontal mortise in the guitar body, a neck has to have a down turn in relation to the body in order to get a down turn along the neck's long axis.
If the hypotenuse (c) of a right triangle is extended, we'll use that as the fingerboard surface. The side opposite (b) will be the location of the bridge posts. But, we'll actually use the side adjacent (a) to calculate where that is.

right-triangle-part.png
 
Bro SGJOHN,

I think I am getting a feel for your thought process based on post 5744.
You are talking about Trig for the sum of the parts for a whole guitar whereas, I have been thinking in a smaller fragment. Essentially just the neck construction/ fab process given known specs. 14 or 17 degree Head stock angle, 24.50 scale length, 2 11/16 nut width, thick wide neck curve, 22 fret etc GLUE in Tenon and Mortise style neck to body join.
 
Excuse my awful drawing but I added a WHITE neck into a black guitar body and put bridge and tailpiece in white and strings in blue.

SO, if you can think rudimentarily, how do I make the block of wood into that white shape with the 3-5 degree down turn tenon, and 14-17 degree down turn head stock?

Miter saw, band saw, router, etc.

Guitar Neck Trig 2.png
 
Excuse my awful drawing but I added a WHITE neck into a black guitar body and put bridge and tailpiece in white and strings in blue.

SO, if you can think rudimentarily, how do I make the block of wood into that white shape with the 3-5 degree down turn tenon, and 14-17 degree down turn head stock?

Miter saw, band saw, router, etc.
I've seen people use a sled that the neck blank is attached to and pushed through a table saw. I use a compound milling vise on my drill press, and set the top part of the angle with a protractor to the top of the vise jaw, then cut it with and endmill shoved in the chuck. Then, when I flip it over and set it on a parallel it comes out even. I would prefere to use a sine plate, but I don't have a good way of using one.

135_Resize01.JPG
 
Every time I go through the mental gyrations, I say to myself, WHY don't you just got look at SG Lou's Iommi SG build threads.

 
I've seen people use a sled that the neck blank is attached to and pushed through a table saw. I use a compound milling vise on my drill press, and set the top part of the angle with a protractor to the top of the vise jaw, then cut it with and endmill shoved in the chuck. Then, when I flip it over and set it on a parallel it comes out even. I would prefere to use a sine plate, but I don't have a good way of using one.

View attachment 82897
Thank you, John.
 

Now I am getting the visuals.

 
So Anyway...I'm back down to one guitar. I just enjoy making knives so much better than playing. My skill set is not in the musical arena.

I sold the PRS and the Godtop. Now I just have the Schecter.

I bought this music maker instead. The sweet sounds of cutting metal and wood...notice it says "Extreme Series" just like me, extreme!

g0640x-e41eb90a0e549e1b2dc8935e1d4d0f19.jpg
 
So anyway my 3+ year ordeal is finally ended. I will post the story in the Ambassador's forum so as to not place my semi-private business out for all to see. Those of you that have been here long enuff to have established ambassadorship are like family to me and I will spill the beans of my trials and tribulations for the past 3.5 years.
 
So anyway my 3+ year ordeal is finally ended. I will post the story in the Ambassador's forum so as to not place my semi-private business out for all to see. Those of you that have been here long enuff to have established ambassadorship are like family to me and I will spill the beans of my trials and tribulations for the past 3.5 years.
Can't wait to hear!
 
So anyway, I have not done any guitar playing for a while now. I started developing a pain in my left index finger only when driving my wife's car and thought it to be the angle/position that I was holding the wheel. The pain has come more frequently now and not just when I drive her car. This has made it very hard to play guitar with no use of my index finger. Several years ago @eSGEe gave me a glass slide. It's packed up now and tucked away in storage, but it gave me the idea to try practice slide. Now that I have some free time in the evening, I might just pull out a guitar and see just how poorly I play.
 
So anyway, I have not done any guitar playing for a while now. I started developing a pain in my left index finger only when driving my wife's car and thought it to be the angle/position that I was holding the wheel. The pain has come more frequently now and not just when I drive her car. This has made it very hard to play guitar with no use of my index finger. Several years ago @eSGEe gave me a glass slide. It's packed up now and tucked away in storage, but it gave me the idea to try practice slide. Now that I have some free time in the evening, I might just pull out a guitar and see just how poorly I play.
Good attitude…adapt and make some noise…good luck sir!
 
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