L-00 Kmg walnut-spruce log and very basic questions thread.

[mike-p]

Also, the neck is lightly oversize and the fingerboard very much so, should I be doing any work on these before I work on the neck angle or should I keep going with what I'm doing? The neck is 2" at the nut currently and I'm aiming for 13/16ths and the fingerboard is plenty wider. The heel is also currently too long and needs trimming.

[ken cierp]

It does not appear that you have done this yet

Trim the cheeks on the neck heel so
that they are dished in towards the
tenon (XXX) – leave about 1/8 to 3/32
untouched this is the surface that
actually contacts the body. The neck
manufacturer took great pains to get
this angle correct so only change it as
a last resort. KMG and Martin have the
cheeks machined at 89 degrees.Note:
that the (XXX) area extends all the way
to the end of the heel. The heel cap
will cover the slight taper that is
created.

Yes you need to get the neck fit properly before gluing on the finger-board

[ken cierp]

Have you seen/read these instructions?

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/fret.html

Essentially the neck is trimmed to match the custom fingerboard width dimensions the maker decides to use.

[mike-p]

Thanks ken, no, I haven't done the cheek trimming/dishing yet. Should I do that, then sand the soundboard to correct the angle, and THEN cut the fingerboard? Think I'll mark off the board and get it cut at work on a bandsaw.

[ken cierp]

Seems you are doing pretty good --- but you need to read ahead on the instruction manual, get a feel for "goal" of each process. Its improtant to follow the sequence of operations to avoid causing yourself unnecessary problems that are sometimes difficult to correct.

[mike-p]

ok, caught a half hour this eve, trimmed and angled the cheeks, they're looking good.

Feeling really basic but I can't seem to sand the rim against the neck block flat, the soundboard edge has been sanded more than the rest, guessing that I'm not applying even pressure and keeping the sanding block level. Shall i take it into work, I think they probably have a belt sander and can sand it flat at 90 degrees to the SB. Sound like a plan?

[ken cierp]

Gosh a belt sander --- no!!!! I am absolutely positive that is not in the instructions.

Use one of the large sanding sticks its should take 5-10 strokes to knock off the tiny bit of mismatch you don't want to change the plane or the angle and make big mess, its just a 3.5" x 2.5 area -- it should be flat already the neck block was and you added the sides. Take your time and don't over do it