Tele build countdown...

[Trevor Davies]

Is the tele neck flame maple?

Glad the neck carving worked out OK.

For my headstocks I use a jigsaw, then the router method.

[fender3x]

Is the tele neck flame maple?

Glad the neck carving worked out OK.

For my headstocks I use a jigsaw, then the router method.

Thanks, TD. I am relieved ;-) I was reluctant to try to "free hand" sand along a traced line. I had seen Simon use this approach, but was quite content using the router method which I thought to be more precise and faster. (which it usually is). I actually used an old router template to trace the outline on the bass neck. The router approach has the great advantages of being quick and replicable. It was my go-to approach up to this build. But I had couple of bad experiences with maple, where the bit caught and split the wood along the grain. Once on a headstock. That one shot a piece at me like a projectile. So, I thought I'd give Simon's method a try.

Like most problems in routing the issue is probably a faulty operator. My bits were good quality and sharp...but also straight. I have read that spiral bits may catch less. There are at least a half dozen other errors I might have made.