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Banjo maker video

Jason and Pharis Romero make some beautiful banjos at their company, J. Romero Banjo Co. Check out this great video by Matt...

Cutting the peghead shape

I have been looking forward to this step for a while.  I traced my template for the peghead design onto the veneer side.  The circles are where the tuners will eventually be installed.   The cuts to shape the peghead are made on the bandsaw.  It is traditional to make...

Adjusting the peghead thickness

The tuners I purchased are made to work with a peghead thickness between 7/16in and 3/4in.  I decided to finalize my peghead thickness at 5/8in.  I ran the peghead through the bandsaw to take off about 1/8in from the back side.  I then sanded everything smooth.  Below...

Cutting the top profile

After the fretboard was glued in place, I transferred lines from my template to the neck.   And made the cuts on the bandsaw.   Here is the neck with the edges of the fretboard cut.  The neck tapers from the rim to the nut.  The neck also bumps out in between the 4th...

Attaching the fretboard

The fretboard is glued to the neck, leaving a gap for the nut.  It must also run straight down the neck so the fret slots are perpendicular to the centerline of the neck.  Below I am fitting the fretboard and nut, making pencil marks for alignment during gluing.   To...