Acoustic Guitar Construction

While I was too late to follow Ken Hundley's advice about setting the brass insert into the tenon before the tenon was cut, I did the next best thing. I clamped some ¾ plywood strips to support the tenon through the whole process.





Before inserting the inserts I put in some hole centers and drive them into the neck block to make an indent.





I drilled the holes for the bolts, but before I installed the inserts I checked to make sure that I had the holes for the inserts deep enough to allow the bolt to fit without bottoming out.



I put the clamped strips back on and set the inserts.






One of the nice things with a Woolson neck jig is that you can set the angle perfect for the geometry that you want and have a nice clean neck to body joint with no need to set the neck angle. For me once I touch the cheeks all bets are off. The next 2 pictures are with the neck bolted on. I am just above the bridge with the straightedge on the fret board.

Very nice work John. Good idea to check your bolt holes before installing the inserts! I am certain that is something I would forget to do!

Ken Hundley,
Great idea! I will try installing my inserts before I cut the tenon. I had worried about cracking or splitting the tenon until I read your question!

The alternative is to drill your pilot holes for the insert, then sandwich the tenon with two blocks of wood (just as John shows), and clamp the livin crap out of it before putting them in. Apparently, when I clamped mine, not all the livin crap was out yet......

I went with C clamps and 3/4 inch plywood with just that in mind, to "clamp the livin crap out of it" :)

My thoughts regarding tenon inserts can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=194

I have one hiccup that I need to finish fixing. Other than that I ready to move toward the finish stage for this guitar. Yesterday I shot pictures all day without a data card, so the record of me mucking up the guitar while finish sanding is lost.

I am using Purflex a manufactured purfling with very fine detail but very thin wood. When I installed I installed at flush to avoid what inevitably happened; I sanded through the wood portion in a small area. I am not sure how I did that but I suspect at the spot the Purflex was up a bit. I any case I cleaned out a strip of the purfling from the top of the guitar to always past where the sand through happened. I have a strip in the mail to replace the area I took out. Purflex is build so that it can seamlessly mate. I very carefully cleaned up the installed end I need to mate with so that I can get a seamless joint. Other than that I made my pearl logo (just taped on in the photo) have the back and sides finished sanded. I also put a few coats of shellac on the top as it (at least in the non-mucked areas) is finished sanded.

Very nice!