Oaktown Strings

• Neck angle

  • Ukulele:  The neck angle on a uke should be 90 degrees.  The fretboard should sit flat on the top with no modification.

    • Cut a 90 degree mortise and tenon joint in the neck blank.  Make the cross grain cuts on the table saw with a sliding table.

    • Cut off the cheeks using bandsaw and fence.

    • Be sure to leave the tenon a bit wide so it can be trimmed to precise fit later.  

    • Be careful not to cut too deep on band saw or faults may show at heel

  • Guitar:  In a perfect world you will have a 88.5° joint between the sides and soundboard at the neck joint and the proper curvature across the body to achieve correct string height at the saddle.  However, in the real world you may have to make slight adjustments to your neck angle to get the correct string height at the saddle while also taking into account string clearance over the frets. 

    • Measure angle of top/side at the neck/body joint

    • Measure height of tangent line at the saddle location.

    • Use neck angle formula to determine the proper neck angle

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    • Cut off the cheeks using the bandsaw and fence.

    • Do not cut too deep on band saw or faults may show at heel​

  • When starting with a new neck blank, make the table saw cuts in both ends of neck blank even if you don't the extra neck now

    • It is difficult to make the table saw cuts once the neck blank has been separated into two necks.

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• Cut the side profile

  • Cut using band saw

  • Do not cut peg head angle yet

    • Do not cut neck to width at this point! Need to be able to clamp neck in vise and to route straight slots. 

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• Fit neck joint to body

  • It is much easier to trim tenon while the sides of the neck block are still rectangular. 

  • I like to use a rabbet plane to trim the tenon.  Sharp chisel can also be used.

  • Cut tenon to length - be sure it isn't hitting bottom of joint.

  • At this point, get a good tenon fit with the neck axis aligned with centerline of body.  

  • Final seating of neck onto body comes later

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Route Slot(s) in Neck

    

• Uke: I like to include a 1/8 wide by 3/8 inch deep carbon fiber bar in the neck for strength and fingerboard alignment.  You can also use a hardwood insert instead of carbon for easy fingerboard alignment.  

  • Rout slot for graphite bar leaving 1/64 - 1/32 of bar above neck for fingerboard alignment

  • Also rout slot in center of fingerboard of 1/64 – 1/32 depth    ​

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• Guitar: Rout slot for truss rod and two 4 inch carbon fiber bars.  The carbon fiber reinforces the neck in the area that is under maximum stress. 

  • One graphite bar should protrude 1/64 above neck/soundboard interface for fingerboard alignment.  The other rod should be at or slightly below neck surface.  Route a corresponding slot in fingerboard of 1/64 – 1/32 depth.    ​

  • If truss rod will be adjustable from peghead, rout the channel slightly wider above the nut so that the hex bolt will fit (for Hot Rot truss rod)

  • If truss will be adjustable from inside the body, rout (or chisel) channel slightly wider at tenon.  This is where the hex head will sit.  The brass body of the truss rod should reside in the neck (above the 14th fret) for strength (see pictures below)    

  • Finalize truss rod fitting

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