About here I realize my dovetail saw is a bit shallow for this cut.

 

 

So Big Brother steps up.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I start hogging waste with the jigsaw.

 

 

 

 

 

Now I can attach the template with double sided tape. I use carpet tape.

 

 

 

Press it down firmly

 

 

Flip it over and press it some more.

 

And awayyyy we go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sides of the heel get my trusty friend, Stanley.

 

 

 

 

 

Grab my square

 

 

and check it.

 

 

And, that's job done. 

 

 

See you next installment. 

Thanks for viewing and commenting on my thread. Much appreciated.

 

The video of this process can be found here.

 

 

Edited July 13, 2025Jul 13 by Handfoolery

Finally getting here to check out the progress. Looking great Mike. Thanks for taking the time for the PIPs and especially the video. Looking forward to seeing the fretboard process.

Back again. I'm sorry for the time it's taken me to return to this thread. Life is lifing; what can I say.

Next order of operation is to "set the neck"properly into the body.

It must be lined up with the centerline of the guitar body, on a flat plane with no twist side to side, and tilted back at the proper angle so that the string height at the bridge will allow for a playable action, defined by the distance between the top of the 12th fret and the bottom of the strings.

When the procedure starts out the dovetail tenon is usually quite high out of the mortise. I began the video these pictures were taken from after I had reduced that height to about a quarter of an inch above the top of the guitar at the neck to body joint.

 

 

So the tenon must be slowly lowered into the mortise until it fits very tightly, with the top of the tenon even with the top of the mortise. I prefer the final fit to be tight enough that it is necessary to use a clamp to squeeze that last little bit into the mortise, compressing the wood.

In order to achieve this I must remove small bits of material from the cheeks of the tenon. You always work the tenon, never the mortise.

 

 

To accomplish this I usually use a sharp chisel to pare away very small bits of wood where I need to, using chalk in the mortise to mark the tenon. But this time I tried a different technique.

These are the cutoffs from the neck heel after I cut the dovetail tenon. They have the exact angle on them that the tenon cheeks were cut to.

 

 

I have glued 80 grit sandpaper to them.

So I would basically remove the neck,  chalk in inside of the mortise(sorry, I have no picture of that), place the neck back in the mortise, remove it again, 

 

 

and sand away wood where there was chalk on the tenon cheeks.

 

 

 

 

 

As you slowly lower the neck into the body it will have a tendency to twist. Strategic removal in certain areas of the tenon cheeks is used to counter act and correct that. The video I will share in the last post in this series of replies will give more detailed information, if you are interested.

To keep the neck from tilting left or right off of the centerline of the body, I use strips of sandpaper in a pulling motion on the opposite side the heck is tilting to pitch it left or right.

These procedures take a bit of patience.

 

 

To keep track of center I use two 36" rules, one either side of the neck, compared to the centerline of the instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

Once I start getting close to being fully seated I start giving attention to the pitch of  the neck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final angle of the neck is accomplished by pulling strips of sandpaper between the  neck cheeks and the body. Similar to the way the side to side fit was accomplished, however this time with even numbers of strokes to each side.

This also mates the heel to the body smoothly.

This is the best shot I could manage of that.

 

 

And the fit of the joint.

 

 

 

 

And the instrument should be able to be picked up by the neck with no glue in the joint.

 

 

 

 

And, the link to the video in this series. As always, thank you for looking and commenting on my thread.

 

 

Finally getting caught up. Great explanation of the process Mike. I really appreciate the supporting videos. I'm more of a visual learner so they really help me to better understand.

 

Keep on, keeping on! Daily life can be challenging. Work as time allows. We'll be here.

Thanks,  Gramps! Much appreciated.

I still have my first guitar.  All mahogany a 12 string.  Beautiful tone.
My shop then (1970s) was in my then FIL's basement. I owned one chisel, a mushed over handelless hald inch I'd salvaged from some rubbish pile. I had an avacado colored 1/4" B&D hand drill from K Mart, a sears craftsman track sander a sears craftsman router and  their table saw.  
Somewhere I still have the book I bought to help me with the process. 

 

Edited August 6, 2025Aug 6 by Cliff

8 minutes ago, Cliff said:

Somewhere I still have the book I bought to help me with the process.

Great story Cliff. Perfect example of making due with what we got!

26 minutes ago, Cliff said:

I still have my first guitar.  All mahogany a 12 string.  Beautiful tone.
My shop then (1970s) was in my then FIL's basement. I owned one chisel, a mushed over handelless hald inch I'd salvaged from some rubbish pile. I had an avacado colored 1/4" B&D hand drill from K Mart, a sears craftsman track sander a sears craftsman router and  their table saw.  
Somewhere I still have the book I bought to help me with the process. 

 

Great story. Glad to have you ring in Cliff. It's been awhile. Hope all continues well with your recovery and you're keeping plenty busy.

47 minutes ago, Cliff said:

I still have my first guitar.  All mahogany a 12 string.  Beautiful tone.
My shop then (1970s) was in my then FIL's basement. I owned one chisel, a mushed over handelless hald inch I'd salvaged from some rubbish pile. I had an avacado colored 1/4" B&D hand drill from K Mart, a sears craftsman track sander a sears craftsman router and  their table saw.  
Somewhere I still have the book I bought to help me with the process. 

 

 

Hey, Cliff! How you doin' !!