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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...

Attaching the peghead veneer

After sanding what will be the top surface of my peghead veneer with 400 grit sandpaper, I marked and roughly cut out the hole for the tension rod pocket.  The blade I had on hand for my coping saw was too rough so I used a Dremel tool to rout it out.  While I was...

Preparing the ebony fretboard

I dressed my fretboard a bit in preparation for cutting the fret slots.  I sanded the top surface with 400 grit sandpaper and trimmed the piece closer to the final dimensions on the table saw.  When the fretboard is complete and on the neck, it is tapered and...

Boring the hole for the dowel stick

The neck attaches to the rim by means of the dowel stick.  The dowel stick is glued to the heel of the neck where it meets the rim.  When the neck and rim are assembled, the dowel stick passes through a hole in the rim and crosses to the opposite side, where it is...

Cutting the radius on the neck

I decided one of the first things I should do, while the neck is still in its squared off shape, is cut the radius where it will attach to the rim.  Adapting some examples from Old-Time Banjocraft and the web, I made a jig to hold the neck at 3 degrees.   The neck is...