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Hi, this may seem like an odd question but its got me puzzled, when my build of a guitar is done i want the top and bottom string to be parallel to the neck so it doesnt look funny, how do i do this? Do i build the neck and make the body to suit or build the body and make the neck to suit? If anyone can explain this process to me it would be fantastic.
Cheers,
David...

The short answer is everything considers all other things. When you say "parallel to the neck" do you mean up and down (in playing position)? Or string height off the fret board?

Not sure exactly what you mean, but...

The neck tapers from heel to nut. That is the neck is narrower at the nut than it is at the heel end. If you want your strings to follow that taper, simply set your string spacing at the nut end and at the bridge end so that the you have the same distance from the edge of the fretboard to the edge of the string at the nut and heel end. Since your fretboard tapers, the string spacing at the bridge will be wider than it is at the nut. Hope that helps.

Hi David,
If I'm following you correctly-
The taper of the strings is determined by the string spacing of the nut to the
string spacing of the bridge AND the scale length.

By knowing these measurements one may draw it out (realizing that
the diagram will be of the strings)- additional width is needed for the desired
width of the neck in relation to the width of the "outside" strings.

Thought I should add...everything works off the centerline and the line drawing
will be the center of the strings, not the outside edge of them. Not much but
still something to consider.

What Sandywood said, and the defacto standard is 1/8" from the string to the edge of the fingerboard.

When you say "parallel to the neck" do you mean the neck edge, or the same distance from the neck all the up the neck?
If the latter, you have to et the neck dead flat and adjust your nut height and bridge height accordingly. This might result in high action at the nut, and/or buzzy strings at the other end of the fretboard, or the whole neck, as strings need a little relief in the neck to vibrate freely.

_________________
Old growth, shmold growth!

BRC - I mean i want it to be the same height, but i also would like the top and bottom string to follow the taper on the neck.

Roger - Yes Roger, this is what i am trying to achieve, but just not quite sure on how to make it and get it some-what right the first time around.

Sandy - Ive decided i will draw it out on a bit of board, is this what most would suggest so i can get it sort of right the first time around?

Viking - Thanks, i didn't know this

TheGuitar - Thanks for the advice

Thanks everyone for your input, turned out to be a very helpful forum this one I derided i might draw everything out, and when im happy with it, i can make templates from the drawn diagram, does this sound like an alright idea to everyone else?

Try this

http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/fbcalc/fbcalc.pdf

_________________
John Thiessen
http://www.iszacguitars.com

David, sounds like you are on the right track now. Keep in mind that there are standard parts for very common guitars and you maybe don't want to re-invent the wheel on your first guitar? Because you can buy several width nuts and bridges you need to figure out what you want hardware-wise when you are planning the build. That will pretty much dictate the measurements on the neck for width and taper.
The other side of this would be if you are designing a specific custom sized fretboard, once you know what your fretboard size/shape/curvature is that will dictate the nut and bridge size and shape. If that comes out at an odd measurement it may be very difficult to find matching parts.