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I've started a telecaster build from scratch and I'm feeling a little perplexed, (perhaps I'm overthinking things, it has happened before).

I've downloaded a drawing of a telecaster body and neck off the internet. Printed the body, cut it out, glued it to thin MDF, cut that out and sanded to the line. I then used that as a template to cut out my actual template from 3/4" MDF. Anyway, at this point I've cut out my body and it looks great, but I think I'm psyching myself out with the neck pocket. Should I continue with the templates I have and cut the neck pocket based off the drawing I've been using, or should I at this point proceed with making the neck, get that finished and then use the actual neck I end up with to get me my neck pocket template?

i’d cut the neck pocket sized to fit the neck if I was making templates.
Consider the end of the neck may be wedge shaped if it follows the fretboard taper.
The pocket has one long side and a nub at the other side.
I don’t to try to get a tight fit due to the short nub, but rather minimize the gaps for appearance.
Most of the gutars I have seen have a loose fit.

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Either will work. Are you making a template for the neck as well? If so make all your templates and fit them properly first. If you are freehanding the neck make it before the pocket and use it to scribe the pocket onto the body and skip the template there.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I make a template for the body and a separate one for the neck pocket (it screws into wood that will be removed when I do the p/u cavities). I use that template to shape the neck heel, but when I route the pocket in the body I wrap a turn or two of 1/4 masking tape around the follower bearing - that makes the pocket slightly too tight. I unwrap some of the tape and make a pass around the pocket, keep doing that until the neck just drops in. You can selectively remove wood from one side of the pocket or the other (or slightly from one side of the heel) to center the neck relative to the body.

Don't get the pocket too tight or try to force the neck in, you risk breaking the thin part on each side.

I happen to have a new build thread at the telecaster forum that I sent you a link to. This one is a true tele style guitar - flat top, screwed neck, Fender style head - but its also chambered and bound. I'm right at the stage you are talking about - you might want to find it and follow along.

ps - I get the neck fit to the body before I route any of the p/u cavities or lay out the bridge location. Once the neck is in place I can establish a true center line and scale length which locates the bridge.

Conor, remember something else about laying out the neck pocket which might affect the order that you build it. The neck tapers from the 21st or 22nd fret to the nut. Typically you define the string spacing at the nut and bridge, then add some amount of offset (often about 1/8 inch but it can depend on your technique) - that sets the width and taper of the fretboard, including the width at the body joint (16th fret on a tele). That establishes the width of the neck pocket opening.

My tele plans (downloaded from the tele forum) show the neck pocket as being 3.002 deep, 2.135 wide at the outside opening (16th fret) and 2.224 wide on the inside. I have a set of strat plans that dimension the pocket a little differently - it shows the walls tapering at 0.84 degrees (right). In both cases that means that the neck needs to drop into the pocket from above - not be pushed in from the end.

What I think I did originally was get a neck that I liked (either commercial or make one) and trace the heel onto a piece of MDF or plywood. Cut that out to be your pocket template, use the masking tape on the bearing trick to make it tight, then open it to fit the neck. Now that I have the template I just make the heel to fit it.

Edit to add - here is the guitar I am currently working on. My template is thin MDF - I don't recommend that because it flexes too much at the treble side of the pocket. You can also see how thin the sides of the pocket are where they taper to nothing and how little support the binding has in that area. I actually routed the pocket a few thousands too wide and reinforced the sides with surgical gauze tape and CA.

Yeah I planned on making a template for the neck as well. That makes sense to make sure the templates fit first. Thanks Brian.

Thanks Freeman, I'll be watching your tele build thread for sure. That's a great tip about wrapping the bearing in masking tape. I'll try and remember that one.