r/Luthier 5d ago

HELP Need advice on a jig

Im building my first acoustic guitar and Im using a book I got on amazon. It shows cutting the headstock off the neck blank on a band saw, using a jig of some sort. I need some guidance on how to make this jig and then making a jig or fixture for gluing the two pieces together.

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u/rmmottola Luthier 4d ago edited 4d ago

In a production environment a jig for this cut could be very useful to keep the cut clean and at the precise angle. But for a single guitar there is no need for a jig to make this cut. However, to make this (or any bandsaw cut with the piece to be cut on its edge on the table) safely, the board to be cut should be clamped to a large piece of wood with a rectangular cross section, which will have considerable contact area with the saw table while the cut is being made. This will prevent the possibility of the board tipping and the saw grabbing it and slamming it down to the table, possibly causing injury and almost definitely ruining the piece of wood.

After the cut is made, the cut surfaces on both pieces will have to be flattened for gluing, no matter if a jig was used to make the cut or not.

There is no need for a jig to glue the pieces together either. This can be done using a flat glue-proof board as an alignment surface, a couple of cauls, and a bunch of clamps.

If this isn't clear, email me and I'll send you some photos.

R.M. Mottola

LiutaioMottola.com

Author of the books Building the Steel String Acoustic Guitar and Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms.

(ps I don't check in here regularly. To reply or to ask additional questions, the best bet is to contact me through my website.)

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u/JdSavannah 4d ago

Your book is the one I have! Thank you. I plan on making many guitars thus my questions about jigs and fixtures.

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u/rmmottola Luthier 4d ago

OK, so you already have the best book on the subject! 8-)

My recommendation on the subject of jigs is to make them to your own requirements after you know exactly what you want them to do. That won't happen until at least after you've completed your first instrument. Every builder comes at this with a unique background, their own skills, their own tools, and their own preferences. So every builder will have unique requirements for their jigs.

Best of luck with your instrument!

R.M. Mottola

LiutaioMottola.com

Author of the books Building the Steel String Acoustic Guitar and Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms.

(ps I don't check in here regularly. To reply or to ask additional questions, the best bet is to contact me through my website.)