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Had a little time and worked a bit on leveling and squaring the nut slot tonight. I may have made it worse <smile>. I'm afraid I have the bass side a little lower than the treble side and the bottom of the slot still isn't perfectly level (front to back) to match the 15 deg angle I have sanded in the bottom of the nut.

Any tips? What tools do you use and how do you use them?

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I bought two 1/4" wide chisels from Sears and spent a day shaping them down to do nut slots. Modifications consisted of following:

1) Grind them to a width of about .185"
2) Shape them with a skew tip (one left and one right).
3) Carefully flattened the back of the chisels.
4) Shaped one side of chisels to an angle of 75 degrees so it could cut up to a sloping side.

Laying one of these chisels on its back allows them to peel thin slices up in a controlled fashion. This took my angled nut slots up to the next level.

Darryl: I make the slot so I don't have to do any cutting. Cut the head plate at 15 degrees and glue the end on the neck exactly at the transition point from the gluing surface for the fingerboard to the headstock. Then just glue on the fingerboard so the end is spaced the same distance as you want the thickness of the nut. Job done. No fuss no muss. Hope you can follow what I am saying. Not much help for you now but maybe in the future.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

A little late now but for the future I do the same as Tom. Glue the headplate on square to the centre line, cut at the neck angle. I make the nut to thickness and us it as a spacer when I glue on the FB. Seems to work well for me.

I do this. A bit more effort than the previous suggestions, but works for me. Use the nut as a spacer to locate the saw guide, which is clamped to the headstock.

Also, I have a scrap nut with 150 grit sandpaper glued on the bottom.



Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

It's late in the game I know, but I also dont butt the headstock overlay right up to the fretboard either when I glue it on. I put the nut in there as I'm gluing, and once I get all the clamps tensioned down I yank the nut out. Perfect fit every time. Though, when I forget to do that, which happens from time to time, I use a small saw to set the line straight, then a skinny chisel to dig it out. I also cheat and use a thin piece of wood with 150grit on it to finish it off if the chisel method is getting to be a pain. For now I would do what the earlier member said. Buy a 1/4" chisel, and spend some time at the grinder making it just wide enough to clear the nut slot. It's not like you are wasting time or anything, you WILL use this tool again, and in fact you might use it for alot more than you think. Plus, it's rewarding to make your own tools, it develops your overall mastery of your shop and materials.

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http://www.sixgunguitars.com

Also alittle late but here is what I do. With the neck blank still true and square I cut and join for my peghead angle( does depend on neck construction ie one piece, scarf or laminated) I get the start of the peghead angle straight and square. I then prep my overlay and cut the angle on the nut end of the overlay. I bring it up to the start of the angle on the neck holding a square against the side of the neck and even with the line . temp clamp it and ddrill for guide pins for glueing. then when I glue on my fret board I use a spacer matching my nut and butt the fretboard to it. The only clean upis alittle glue.

brent

Don't modify the slot to match the nut angle, modify the nut to match the nut slot. I set my nut on the same flat plane as the fingerboard, even Martin is doing it that way now on some guitars. I have a couple small files that I have ground the width to fit the slot and are smooth on the sides so they only cut the bottom of the slot.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Like several others, I install my headstock veneer and lams such that I don't have to do any cutting after the glue up.

Chris.

Like several others, I install my headstock veneer and lams such that I don't have to do any cutting after the glue up.

Chris.

Unfortunately, I left the headstock veneer a little long when gluing it in place so I had to trim it. I used a method like Pat shows above to get the angle right on the end of the headstock veneer. However, deep in the corners it wasn't clear so the nut wouldn't fit in and square to the end of the fretboard. So I tried clearing this with a file.....but it didn't have the right angle and I actually cut further on the bass side lowering it a bit too much. Maybe the right chisel would work down in that corner. So I need to re-level the nut slot and get that corner cleared. I have already sanded the 15 deg angle on the bottom of the nut.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......