FITTING AND CUTTING A NECK
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STEPS 6-8 |
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 Cutting the profile of the neck with a coping saw |
[6] The thickness of the finished neck, including the fingerboard, should measure 18.5mm near the chin and 20mm close to the neck foot. I pencil-mark these thicknesses on either side on the square neck and connect them with my neck template including the neck heel. I know the height of this from step 5. Clamping the neck to the workbench, I carefully cut a precise profile with the coping saw. To shape the neck, I start by using finger planes and knives, then rasps and files, and I finish it off with fine sandpaper. | ||
 After gluing, the neck is clamped and left to dry |
[7] Before gluing the neck, I glue size the mortise as well as the neck heel, allow it to dry well and then usually make some adjustments, because swelling of the different parts can cause minor changes. I like the fit to be very precise and the neck heel to be touching the button with no great force needed to push it down. Freshly made strong glue that is not too thick works well for me. A small chamfer on the neck heel gives any excess glue room to escape. After a couple of dry runs to establish the gluing procedure, I am now ready to glue the neck in. I heat both the neck and mortise gently with a hair dryer and brush the glue on. I then push the neck in as practised, checking its position against the bridge, apply one clamp and leave it to dry. | ||
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[8] With the neck now glued, I cut the button shape and make
adjustments to the neck heel if necessary. The button and the chin
of the scroll should match in terms of style. Although players seem
to adjust easily and quickly to any given neck shape, some shapes
work better than others.
I find neck-shaping easier with a fingerboard thickness of less
than 5mm at the sides. Having less ebony also reduces the weight
of the neck, making the player's life easier, and it can help to improve
the instrument's lower resonances.
I achieve a smooth finish to the neck with a fine paste of pumice
and ground varnish, which gives it not only protection against hand
sweat, but also a nice, silky feel.  The finished button centred on the violin's body |
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