Neck Design Question

donnercruz

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I'm working my way towards my first uke build. I'm looking at creating my own design and therefore looking at different neck attachment options.

Looking at both the spanish and bolt on designs, would it not be possible to go a step further and extend the neck block, making it a little larger, then create neck without a heel and bolt and glue it into the block before applying the fingerboard. It would seem you could also do this with a heel if you wanted a more traditional look.

Is there any reason not to do this?

Just wondering.
 
Yes, it just seemed like an interesting design idea. probably route down the neck so the top encloses it then attach the finger board over the whole thing. I was looking at my fluke and thought, "Why do you need a heel?"

It seems to me the hardest part of the build will probably be making "perfect" jigs and forms. Not that the building is a piece of cake, but if these are dead on, everything else should fall in place. Having never bent sides, this would seem like the area with a learning curve.
 
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So you mean....run the bolts from the top side of the neck down into the top of the neck block? Like the neck joint on a stratocaster except the bolts are on the top.
That should work fine and look very clean.
 
Now't wrong with that method ...But adjustment in later years would be difficult but not impossible.. So why not just put in a couple of wood screws instead? ( like the old fender strats with no glue)...or may be nails ?.. or !! If the surface area is great enough just glue will sufice...A lap joint is a good Joint.
 
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" Having never bent sides, this would seem like the area with a learning curve."

You've got a sense of humour - that will help.

Ukantor.
 
I have been researching this very thing for weeks. I came across a luthiers site today wherein he described a new method that he developed using cross dowel hardware. I can't find the site again! Aargh! anyway, there were many comments on the site from folks who tried it, like his method supported over 280 rotational lbs of force and one guy said he turned a solid hardwood neck into kindling with no damage to the joint at all trying to make it fail. To me it's the most brilliant way to attach a neck I have ever seen. All it takes is a routed slot in the neck block and a matching tenon on the heel end of the neck, with the appropriate holes drilled for the cross dowels and the appropriate holes drilled through the neck block and neck heel for the bolts. It was genius. If you're building from scratch, this is definitely an option that I would recommend you investigate. You're at the design stage now and that's when it has to be implemented. Good luck with the build!
 
Do you mean this joint?
parts_FAQ_neckj-SimV.jpg
 
That's pretty. It doesn't look like it would take too well to adjustment however.
 
Yes it's a good method..I've used a single barrel nut on some banjo ukes I made some years ago..I drilled a hole down into the heel from above before the finger board was fitted and dropped the barrel nut in..the perch pole then screwed into it..I believe Glyph Ukulele's use the same method.
PICT1825.jpg
 
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Graham MCdonald has used that on several of his instruments. In his first book, the bouzouki book, he shows about 3-4 different types of neck joints. A great resource.
 
Yes it's a good method..I've used a single barrel nut on some banjo ukes I made some years ago..I drilled a hole down into the heel from above before the finger board was fitted and dropped the barrel nut in..the perch pole then screwed into it..I believe Glyph Ukulele's use the same method.
PICT1825.jpg

I was thinking the exact same mod on the kit build I'm starting. I've been having troubling thoughts about using dowels with only a hand drill in my possession. I spent hours trying to dream up a jig of some kind, that's why I started looking at other connection types... Thanks for the info.
 
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