Luthiers - post your favorite jigs!

[John Coloccia]

I requested this forum, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling. If there's one thing practically all guitar builders have in common it's the obscene number of jigs we tend to make over the years.

This is actually a copy of a thread with a jig I posted several months ago. It's my fret slotting setup. I cut and pasted from the original post......

So I finally figured out how to make a jig that will take StewMac's fret slotting templates and allow me to switch which template I use. I never liked the whole double sided tape thing, but I couldn't seem to figure out how to make it better AND be able to use different templates. Here's what I built tonight...

Here's what the jig looks like



First I have a base made out of 3/4" birch ply. There's a little chunk taken out of the back. I needed that for a different part of the jig but that has no relevance to the sled. The important part here is the front of the sled is exactly perpendicular to the saw blade. I have a trick for doing this very simply, by the way. If anyone's interested, I'll post it.



Note the locating pin in the vertical member.



Here's the part that moves. The blue thing is a Kreg fence. Takes T-nuts/T-Bolts on one side, and 1/4-20 nuts/bolts on the other. The little piece on the bottom is that piece that was cut from the back of the sled. You really want an exact match in thickness here. Actually, just a touch under is best. I put this on the belt sander for 2 seconds to make it just a little thinner.



Now I can bolt the StewMac template to the top of the Kreg fence.



Note that I'm indexing off of the template, not the fence. I don't care what the fence is doing. All I care about is the front of the sled is square to the blade, the vertical piece is parallel to the front of the fence, and the template is square to the vertical piece (which it will always be because I simply pull it up tight as I'm slotting....that's why the clearance is there).



Now I can just move it down from notch to notch as normal. The nice part, though, is I can swap in whatever scale length I want. No tape, no lining up center lines, etc.



Maybe someone will find this useful. I saw something similar somewhere though it didn't have interchangeable templates. I wish I could remember where so I could give credit.

[Travis Stinson]

Very nice John! That's the one thing I have left to get setup with. Is Stew Mac the only place that carries the .023 tablesaw blade? I haven't been able to find one anywhere else.

[John Coloccia]

LMII carries a slotting blade too, I believe. I know that others do as well. StewMac's is nice because the body of the blade is thicker and doesn't require any stiffeners.

[Lupe Duncan]

Nice John, I would love to get into guitars, not enough time or money but maybe someday.

I have a question though, I've never made a neck but don't the fret boards have a radius? I know my guitars do unless the classical style guitars have flat fretboards.

Cool Idea for a forum. I will be visiting....... ALOT.

[John Coloccia]

Yes, they have a radius except for classical/flamenco style guitars, though you will occasionally find one with a radius. I see where you're going with this, though. I buy my fingerboards flat or simply make my own. If I was going to buy them pre-radiused, I would also buy them pre-slotted as it would be difficult for me to slot them once it's radiused. I've gone this route and have been disappointed time and time again. I've had them show up:

1) with fret slot locations slightly off
2) with a cock-eyed radius that's off so much I would have to go below 3/16" to fix it
3) with sides that aren't perpendicular to the fret slots and/or a radius that isn't centered.....this makes working with the fingerboard SO much harder as I have to establish reference lines that are centered with the board's radius AND perpendicular to the slots. How the heck do you make a perfect line against a curved, .023" slot, on a curved board? It's not impossible but it's a frustrating, time consuming job and it's and it's error prone.

By the time I'm done fixing 2&3 (assuming 1 is OK), I could have easily slotted my own board working from square stock I dimensioned myself, and radius the stupid thing. I'll be honest and say that I'm generally disappointed with pre-made parts I've seen, including wood binding strips. At this point, the only pre-made parts I'm buying are my kerfed linings for acoustics, but I was up in Bill Cumpiano's shop last week (I've just started taking an "extended" class with him), and after seeing HIS kerfed linings, I'll be making those myself too. There's just no comparison in flexibility with the purchased linings. That leaves the metal bits. I tell you, though, that I've been getting really disappointed with the quality of some of the bridges I've gotten lately and I'm considering just using an acoustic/archtop style bridge with a tailpiece or through-body strings.

[Larry Fox]

Very interesting jig John - thanks for posting. I am working on jigging to be able to create a 1-piece Fender style neck right now and a jig for cutting the fret slots was next on the list after I finished the one for the truss rod route. I had pretty much resigned myself to shelling out for either the StewMac or LMI jig but I think you just saved me a decent amount of $$. Have an interesting jig for arched truss rod route through the back of the neck that you use?

[John Coloccia]

re: trussrod slot...

Actually, I DID have a way of doing that. My trussrod "jig" is two straight pieces of MDF with two 1/2" piece of MDF glued between them on either end (far easier than trying to make a 1/2" slot, no?). This gives me a 1/2" channel. I put a 1/2" bushing guide in my router with a 1/4" bit. I have a centerline marked on the "jig", and also a line marked showing where it will stop cutting (which is 1/8" short of the end of the jig....that's my 1/2" bushing (1/4" radius) minus my 1/4" bit (1/8" radius) giving me a 1/8" gap). I take that and double-sided tape it down to my neck in the proper position.

So, what I did was go out and found the absolute silkiest blunge router I could find. I needed another router anyway. It ended up being a Craftsman, of all things! I would start by setting the stop to the minimum depth I wanted to go (i.e. the depth where the rod exits the headstock) and make a couple of passes to get to that depth. Then I would set the final depth. Starting at the neck, I unlocked the plunge mechanism and slowly plunged freehand while pushing through my jig. I had a line setup where I wanted to be at final depth. It actually worked pretty well! It only took a few seconds of hand cleanup with a chisel to smooth it out. You could also make a little ramp on the jig, though you will have to take into account that the router bit will now be tilted. Your ramp has to account for that or you won't get a precise height at the headstock end. Ideally, when you're at final depth on the straight part, the ramp should get you to exactly the proper depth at the headstock.

Anyhow, I don't do that anymore. I only use double action truss rods now. They're far superior in every way, IMHO, except that they maybe add a little weight. I just use my "jig" to make a straight slot, now.

Benedetto cut his using a pin router and a 1/4" slot cutter. The neck was clamped sideways in the jig, and the front of the jig (the part that rides against the pin) is slightly curved towards the headstock. For this to work, you need to have a precise, rough neck thickness.

I'm not sure I saved you any money with the fret slotting thing. In fact, I think I cost you some! I still use StewMac's blade and their fret templates. Their templates come with instructions for building a "jig", which is nothing more than an extended fence on your miter slot with a pin stuck in it. Then you're supposed to double sided tape the fretboard to the templates, and slot similarly to how I do it. I just never really liked that system but it works just fine.

[Larry Fox]

John, I like the apparent ease of installation of the double-acting truss rod (Hot Rod?) as you go with a flat trench as opposed to an arched one but I have gotten conflicting advise on installing it from the back for a 1-piece neck. Stew Mac explicitly recommends not installing the Hot Rod that way. To me I don't think it would make a difference but hey, this is my first attempt at a build, so what do I know.

Have you installed one in a one-piece?

[John Coloccia]

Now I get what you mean "from the back". I've never in my life made a one piece neck. Even when I've done a maple fingerboard, I've always glued on a separate piece of maple. That may sound strange, but that's how I do it. I don't know anything about installing trussrods from the rear, I'm afraid.

[Larry Fox]

I don't think it sounds strange at all - it seems to be the way that most people do it. I started off going down that road and was just going to go with a maple neck and an applied rosewood fingerboard. Flat truss-rod channel, freting a thinish board - done. Then I became curious as to how one might do it and then it became something of a challenge .... which brings me to where I am today which is contemplating a routing jig, thinking about intersection angles etc instead of building a neck and having fun. This is my typical MO though, if there is a way to make something more difficult than it needs to be I will find it, latch onto it and make it my own.

[John Coloccia]

This is all just my opinion, but I suggest you don't do a skunk stripe. Keep in mind that Leo Fender knew nothing about guitar building. Don't get wrapped up trying to copy that. If you've never built a guitar before, my suggestion would be to build something as simply and quickly as you can. The only way you will get good at it is if you build a lot of guitars, and the only way you will build a lot of guitars is to actually build them, not think about them. By "prototype" number 5 or so, you'll have a great deal of experience in reliably assembling an instrument that works. Then you can worry about things like bindings, headstock veneers, skunk stripes if you wish (though I would never), tremolos, etc. Again, that's just my opinion, but when I was an engineer, and especially as a manager, the key to success is to a long history completed "good enough" projects, as opposed to a long history of unfinished "perfect" projects. Someone told me that early on as a fledgling engineer, and I never forgot that.

[Larry Fox]

Great advise John and I know you are 100% correct. I am also making a classic mistake at this particular point in time which is trying to work on too many projects at the same time and not making progress on many. I am midway through a basement remodel and work on this guitar project during the very short time intervals that this project, work, kids etc allow so I lack the necessary focus. I am sure all of it would just fall into place if I focused on a single project .. but then again, what fun would that be.

[chiesa dan]

I agree on keeping it as simple as possible at the beginning. What i don't necessarily agree on is the good enough approach though. Through the years spent in violinmaking school, i've seen two basic approaches: make things good enough, make many and they'll also get better; make things as good as you can, and with time you'll get faster and faster at making very good work.
Everyone seems to naturally find his place in one of those two camps; both have pros and cons.
Since i came to instrument making from playing them, it was natural to try to work the piece or technique as well as i could; as in playing instrument, also in making them if you settle to a lower level of quality or on good enouogh results, it might take quite some time and effort to improve and refine your results, if ever.
As John says though, and not to be underestimated: "The only way you will get good at it [...] is to actually build them".
Just my .02,
Daniele.

[John Coloccia]

I'm with you, Daniele. I was more thinking along the lines of not getting bogged down in the beginning with making the ultimate instrument but rather keeping things simple but getting through all of the steps. I got bogged down on my first one with bindings, curved truss rod channels, fancy inlays, etc., and never actually finished it. My next ones were dirt simple and I was able to finally get through to stringing it up and finding all my REAL mistakes. LOL. Definitely don't be sloppy and always work to the best of your abilities, as Daniele says!

[Tim Mahoney]

I just noticed the musical instrument thread today. I've been busy making guitars for xmas and now have the time to check out this site again. My last build was a thru neck design similiar to a Gibson reverse Firebird but with my changes and the clients. I too make my own necks and fretboards. I want to make a better/simple jig to route radius fretboards and or a compound radius. Right now I'm shaping the radius of the fretboard at the neck, then the shape at the body, lots of hand work in between to final shape. It takes awhile and I now have the time to make something that is quicker. Any suggestions? I looked on the internet and have some ideas.