F****k!!

[kiwigeo]

Don't ya just hate those "Oh F**k" moments. Youve slaved away on a neck.....you've got the neck/body fit perfect, the fretboard is on and slotted...you merrily shape the neck and then you notice a tiny pin hole that gets bigger as you rasp away...and you realize youve hit the truss rod channel.

Short term solution to the problem....consume a six pack of pale ales (done).
Long term solution......start another neck (do tomorrow)

[rocket]

I REALLY HATE THAT ,,,,YEAHHH!!

ROD

[simso]

Whoops

[kiwigeo]

It's one of those moments when you have two options....1) walk away from guitar building or 2) drain a six pack of beers, sleep off the hangover and then start on a new neck.

Looking at the positive side.....Im getting really good at making necks

[simso]

How thick of a trussrod are you fitting into the neck.

Steve

[kiwigeo]

How thick of a trussrod are you fitting into the neck.

Steve

It's an LMI double acting rod...part of a group buy a few years back.

Ive installed a few of these rods in previous builds and never had an issue......I guess I got a bit carried way with the rasp and was a few mm out with the trench depth measurement (I mark same on side of the neck blank).

With Trevor Gore's rods the rod is folded over at the headstock end rather than having a threaded block....it means youve got much more to play with when shaping the neck/headstock area.

[ozziebluesman]

Yes I was carving a neck and my wife said we had to be ready to leave at midday and it was then 10 am. I thought will I use the template or just rough it out first and then use the template and get it perfect when I get home. It is a horrible moment when you strike steel!!!! I had a very figured fingerboard on the neck so as punishment I made myself remove the fingerboard without damage so all was not lost. It took me all weekend, what a mess. The neck massacre is hanging in my workshop to remind me not to wing it ever.
Cheers
Al

[Steve.Toscano]

A long shot, but you could veneer the neck.

[Trevor Gore]

Glass half full...

Lucky you weren't building in the Spanish method...

[kiwigeo]

A long shot, but you could veneer the neck.

Not an option.....others might not twig as to what's going on but I know about the stuff up so unless I fix it it'll haunt me to my grave

[kiwigeo]

Glass half full...

Lucky you weren't building in the Spanish method...

Yeah I guess...this is neck number two for this guitar. First neck got trashed while trying to extricate a glued up truss rod...had to replace the fretboard and when it was all done the bolt down tenon was out of kilter enough to prevent the neck bolts lining up properly.

Going to try routing truss rod channel with a straight cutter this time around so rod end blocks bottom out fully in the channel.

[kiwigeo]

Maybe my future lies in guitar repair....

[Jim]

Yeah that's so tough. Bummer

[simso]

Cool cool, was trying to picture how it could if happened.

Steve

[blackalex1952]

I recently had a truss rod routing disaster when the router bit dropped in the chuck due to my negligent use of a bit with too short a shank- pushing the envelope a bit far there...I consider myself warned having had a lucky escape from a serious hand injury...
(the sharpened bit I should have used had not arrived back from being doctored) I usually construct my necks so that I can sort out the truss rod and CF channels on the table saw at an earlier stage, ie before attaching the headstock, or with a router table. I like the table saw method as it means less sharpening. Router bits take a lot of maintenance, higher cutting speeds, less edge available to the work than saw teeth provide. This particular neck required a rout in situ on the guitar. Now the job has turned into a neck replacement
Ross

[Craig Bumgarner]

I feel your pain man! Moments like this are why I have a sense I'm just a moment away from disaster most of the time when building a guitar. If there were only a hundred ways to F up a build, it would not be so bad. Don't feel bad for too long, we've all been there and I suppose it is disasters like this that keeps us on our toes. Remember, if it was easy, everyone would be building guitars.

[TallDad71]

First we master the basics and that takes years! Then we master the really subtle stuff and that takes more years and fills our brains to the brim to the point where we go and forget the basics all over again.

We've all been there and feel your pain.

[Fisherman]

ouch. i havent made that mistake yet, but thanks for the reminder to consider it.

i did have my own walk away and get a beer moment recently building a bridge. Built a beautiful bridge out of NGR and Indian... then right at the end managed to drill the fifth hole a fraction out of line. f*#k!

[kiwigeo]

Thanks for all the supportive comments chaps. Busy gluing up a new neck blank today. Also doing test runs with a flat bottomed truss rod trench.

[rocket]

I've been using LMI da rods Martin, they measured 10 mm deep I cut a slot with a 1/4" straight bit 11mm deep.
That gives me about 3-3.5mm margin.
I know you know how to install a rod but I thought I'd put my two bobs worth in.

Cheers

Rod.

[kiwigeo]

I've been using LMI da rods Martin, they measured 10 mm deep I cut a slot with a 1/4" straight bit 11mm deep.
That gives me about 3-3.5mm margin.
I know you know how to install a rod but I thought I'd put my two bobs worth in.

Cheers

Rod.

My rods are same dimensions.....1/4" width and fit in a 10-11mm deep trench. I did a test rout with a spiral down cut bit earlier on today and got the rod to fit comfortably in an 11mm deep trench. There was none of the filing of the end blocks required when I was fitting the rod into the round bottomed trench produced by the veining cutter.

[old_picker]

Martin I know your pain - nothing worse and you momentarily think
Undo!
Delete!
Go back!
then swear throw things around and scare the bejeesus out of the dogs as you realise how hopeless the situation is - then torture yourself for the rest of the day and night - next day go and build a new neck really fast with no mistakes and marvel at how quickly it was done -

but uhmm yep I have built that second neck and stuffed that one too -

[kiwigeo]

A day off from building yesterday...it was my birthday so I got pissed instead