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Is it just me or does making a neck always take longer than you think it will?
I went into the shop this morning with the goal of getting getting two necks started and get fretboards glued on. Needles to say that didn't happen and I realize I always under estimate how long the neck will take to make. Anyone else experience this phenomenon?

Hi, Sam,
I don't know if this reply will be useful, but it seems to me that EVERYTHING on an instrument project takes a bit longer than I anticipate. There's just always some little situation or problem that comes along. It doesn't matter how many times I do a certain procedure. There always seems to be a hiccup along the way--for a wide variety of reasons. Read my post on "Fretting Goof" and you'll see what I mean.
Patrick

Sure does. Just so many little steps, measures, marks, alignments and such. Setting the angles, cutting the truss rod slot, cutting the profile for the fight thickness, adding the heel cap, faceplate, logo, yadda yadda. If I do two whole necks in a day I'm well pleased.

Slot heads take forever, and then you have to finish them!

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Seems that making a neck is about the same amount of work as doing a body........! Or at least is seems to feel that way...!!!
Tom

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

Yep. When you think the neck is almost done....you're about half done

To make matters worse, it had to be a classical peg head and a fan fret. I had to stop and think at every step

3d printing...

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Nope i don't reckon it's just you Sam, everything always takes longer.

Steve

I hate makin' the neck, I'd rather build two boxes. Sometimes buying a neck feels good, guilt trip or not!

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
I love building guitars!

I'd be happy if I could do one neck in two days I do enjoy making them, though. At least, if I'm doing an integral neck (Spanish heel) and not a more complex and tricky to cut joint.

Working on one right now, actually. Also a fan fret, but I've done enough of those now that it's hardly any extra trouble. My order of operations is:
1. Make the fingerboard
2. Cut the scarf joint (square, like normal)
3. Thickness the neck shaft blank
4. Cut the truss rod slot
5. Glue the scarf joint
6. Drill position pin holes for the fingerboard
8. Mark the 12th or 14th fret position and glue on the heel block
9. Mark the angled nut line and plane the headstock surface until the transition line to the neck surface is parallel to the mark
10. Cut and sand the headplate edge to match the nut angle, and glue it on
11. Thickness the headstock from the back side

And by that point you're pretty much out of the woods on any fan fret related issues.

I learned how to avoid that a long time ago. Figure out how long you think something will take and then triple that figure.

Back when I started doing cabinet making I found I always under estimated my time and a friend who was an old timer at it gave me that advice and it it has been my "rule" ever since.
He was also the one who gave me these words of wisdom:

"Always look on the down side of everything... anything else is a bonus".

That advice always keeps me thinking of what can go wrong and to be prepared for it.

Bob