My Maths (geometry) teacher would be so proud. His career spanning some forty years and finally a student (me) to prove him right that someday i'd finally find a use for all those angles and stuff he tried to drum into my brain!
For my acoustic builds, when it comes to preparing the nut and the laminate for the headstock, there are a few angles that have to be shaped to get everything t fit flush. This has generally taken a bit of guesswork and trial and error. So tonight I'm looking at this issue with much the dumb-founded look I would have presented to my teacher when faced with a geometry question some 35 years ago, when it struck me! I could have a simple solution to this who problem. Build a template with the angle pre-shaped ready to sand on the orbital sander. That way I get repeatable accurate results each and every time!
All i had to do was figure out the angle! It was 7 degrees! Then figured out the bandsaw could cut that angle for me!
Here is the template ramp pictured below with the 7 degree cut. The neck area being worked on is in the photo. Essentially the fretboard comes u the where the neck angles away. That is the 7 degree angle i had to replicate.
Here is the ramp set flush against the orbital sander.
Now the bone nut is put onto the ramp and sanded flush to give the perfect 7 degree offset I am looking for!