** Making A Neck Pocket Template **

[Fred_Garvin]

Got any clever tricks for a strat/JM style neck pocket?

Same procedure, just use a rounded piece to establish the end of the pocket where the butt end of the neck is. Cut it on a bandsaw and or stick sandpaper to the end of the neck to shape it.

 

[Jupiter]

Same procedure, just use a rounded piece to establish the end of the pocket where the butt end of the neck is. Cut it on a bandsaw and or stick sandpaper to the end of the neck to shape it.

Yeah, but I reckon it's the curved part that's fiddly. Might use that sandpaper trick though.

 

[jkingma]

IIRC the curved end of a Strat neck has a 5" radius.

 

[Jack Wells]

You are correct sir.

 

[tazz2]

Bit of an old thread but a great one -

Was wondering what diameter bit you used for routing out the neck pocket template (and subsequently the body)?

Is a 1/2" diameter bit small enough to get the corners of the neck pocket absolutely spot on?

 

[017_017]

A 1/2" diameter bit is the perfect size, as the neck pocket corner radiuses are 1/4".

 

[montyveda]

Holy thread resurrection! (sorry, but it's a good thread)

I'm using an old bolt on neck for my build and plan on cutting the neck pocket using the method described in the OP.

My quandary is... do i try to use the four existing screw holes in my neck and transfer* those to the body, or ignore them (or plug them) and just drill four new holes?

*if i get this even slightly wrong, it'll be very wrong.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I don't know what Jack did here but I would make the template by using whatever method works for you. I would take three pieces of wood with a perfectly straight edge , and use clamps and double sided tape to stick them down. Next, put the neck in and get them adjusted so they are correct, then rout into the template material with a pattern bit.

Another method I've used is to print out the neck cavity to 100 % scale and glue that down and put the wood on top of it on the lines.


As far as the holes, you can take pointy things and stick them into the existing holes to transfer the hole locations into the body. Sharpened dowels or similar, or even some cut nails that fit.

See post 29 and onward.

Let's make a body ! | Page 2 | Telecaster Guitar Forum (tdpri.com)


One thing to note is that if the neck fits tight, you won't be able to adjust the E strings to the neck and they could fall on one side more than the other. You want a little wiggle room...not a mortise and tenon fit. But there are those who insist and want a press fit for maximum tone transfer and other BS...so it's up to you.

 

[Mojotron]

I would just add that the way I do it is I leave the holes as a last step in the process - my templates do not have holes in them. I make the neck/body templates so that the neck fits into the heel just tight enough to lift the guitar up from the top of the head to about 45 degrees (this is a little on the tight side - but it's what I like). Then, when I fit them together I take a set of 4 screws that would be the same size as the neck screws , cut them to about 1" and screw them into the holes so that the pointy end is poking out about 3/8" (or if you want to make holes in the neck - screws that fit about 1" into the body holes). Then just fit the final neck and body together and use those holes as the starts for your holes for your body (or neck as the case may be).

As Marty mentioned ^^^, One last step is to drill the body holes just a little bigger than the neck screws and then take a slightly bigger bit and counter bore the neck and body holes by hand just a bit to help to make sure there are no little bits of wood that might make them not fit completely flush inside the heel.