Locating the bridge

Here's the bridge being located with a full scale jig which shows where to drill holes for the bridge pins.

Here's how it looks.

Neck finished...

...mostly. The fretboard is attached and drying on the neck. Now I can put the nut in place, locate the bridge, and start finishing.

Fretting the fretboard...

Pre-bending the fret material.

I fret my fretboard/fingerboards before attaching to the neck as it avoids the tendency of the neck to bow if you fret it in place. Because this fretboard is bound with Koa binding, I need to make the frets overlay the binding rather than stop at it. That means I have to remove a part of the fret tang with my handy "Fret Tang Nippers". Then I shape the ends into a smooth dome using a file so that it doesn't catch any skin while you're running up and down the strings playing the lead from "Hotel California"... 

Also, the fret material is run this handy home made fret bender to put a little curve/bow in them so the ends stay down when in place.


Finally they get pressed into place using a fret presser chucked into the drill press. This is better than pounding them in with a hammer as it applies even pressure.

Nipping the fret tangs.

Fret ready for shaping

Filing the end round

Ready for installation

Pressing in place

Fret installed.

Back of headstock finished...

 Here's the back of the head stock after final carving and profiling.

And with the Gotoh tuners in place...

Neck almost finished...

 The fretboard is bound, radiused, and ready to be, well, fretted. Once that's done I can attach it to the neck, and that will allow me locate and mask off the bridge area, then we'll be ready for finishing...

Head with template applied ready for routing

Finished headstock with hole for tuners drilled

Here's how it all looks together

And on the guitar!

Progress for the day....

Too tired to make individual posts. Here's a pictorial of todays progress.