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...that jig you use to chisel the initial heel cut during a neck reset? I'm doing lots of NR's these days and am always looking for ways to increase speed and accuracy. I understand the concept of the jig but can't envision how to clamp the neck and set the jig to establish accurately the zero point (under the fingerboard end) where the wedge terminates.

I offer a modest shop tip in exchange (emphasis on modest, though I CAN be a somewhat clever at times, probably not often enough).

If I'm having to repeatedly string and unstring a guitar for a particular repair, I coil two adjacent strings together rather than all six. 2 are easy to separate, 3 or 6 multiply the hassle factor...

Told you it was modest.

Thanks in advance!

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That heel jig seemed like a good idea at the time, but it hasn't worked out that way.  It has sat unused in the corner for years (if it's still even there) and I'm quite sure it will not get any use until I scrap it for parts. . .



I kinda wondered about that. I have a few jigs that have seen very little use, notwithstanding the enthusiasm and hours that went into creating them, and me fully convinced they'd make all the difference. Thanks for saving me the time and trouble of constructing one just to hang it on the wall next to the others.

I have one that uses an offset base trim router, from a design by a repairman that worked w/Rick Turner, his name escapes me now, pre-coffee.  I'll take a photo & post.

Wait, don't tempt me with another design! I'm like Charlie Brown and the football!

Just kidding, I'd love to see it but I'm making a commitment to myself to NOT commit to building anything.......(yeah, right).

The reset jig, from Steve Crisp's design:

Now I'm really in trouble, because I have more than half of that very jig already built in the form of a different jig I built for another purpose but rarely use. The only thing left to do is configure the tilting table with the router. I'm not sure about that bit; it looks as though tear-out of chips and finish could be an issue if the rotation wasn't oriented just right. Maybe not, though. I'm just extra cautious about that stuff. 

I find (echoing FF's words here) that the sides of most guitars are rarely straight, so you couldn't rely on this for the final fitting. But, I do see a quick way of roughing-in the joint with a fairly high degree of accuracy. I had a Collings CJ on my bench this morning with a maple neck that I could have used this on. That maple end grain is tough, and hell on my favorite chisel.

The wheels are turning (I see a time-suck vortex in the space-time continuum....maybe).

Thanks for the pics!

The router jig:  It's meant for hogging off material, fitting to the body requires sandpaper flossing.  I haven't run into tearout problems; you could always score the heel with a chisel.  I went to that bit, so I could really reach, with the router.  I have dozens of those 3/8" knobs, and live close to a TAP Plastic store and its scrapbin.

Nice work, Jeffrey...  you've given me a renewed fervor for finally building one!  Couple of questions, if I may:

Do you ever run-into any issues with the neck rocking on the fret radius... or is that a moot point since the router cutter is "sweeping across" a relatively large swath of cut anyway?  

And, do you have a guesstimate (going in) how much sandpaper "flossing" might be needed when making the rough cut, and subtract that from the initial cut? 

Congrats on a nice jig.

Thanks, Mike--all kudos to Steve Crisp, whose idea this was.

I've never had a neck budge, once it's clamped in; I use the reset formula here: http://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae/Reset.htm, and always on the conservative side.

I was first intrigued by this, when I saw a photo of Steve's, when Frank visited Rick Turner's shop.  It's on Frets.com, somewhere.

Gotcha'...  Regarding the formula, I use the same one... just curious if (after making the calculations) you "stop short" a given am't to accommodate the final 'flossing' for the fit... and, if so, by how much?

Lucky you with a TAP Plastics in the neighborhood. It's nothing but fun in their scrap bins!

I mis-read your initial post. I didn't realize you had and used this rig. I somehow got the impression that you just had a picture of the rig. Now I'm REALLY intrigued since you get good results. I don't have an offset base but I'm Googling to solve that. Thanks again for the pics. BTW, what is the neck out of? I was going to guess a LoPrinzi but the truss rod doesn't look right.

That's a Yamaha neck, I think from an SJ180--I have more than a few Yamahas around here, in various stages of refurb. And, yeah, the jig lives & works here!

Mike--I go about .010-.015 shy. 

I'm always interested in any ideas for getting the fingerboard extension loose, as it's the same AMG as the dovetail...

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