How to Quickly Carve a Guitar Neck | Building the Temple Guitars Router Jig

This is a great jig to build if you want to quickly and accurately carve a guitar neck with your router. This jig offers CNC Repeatability so you can reproduce your favorite guitar neck profiles. All you have to do is create the cams with your desired profile. This version of the jig is drawn up by my buddy Jayszun of Temple Guitars. Jayszun makes these personalized by taking your neck dimensions and applying them to the jig.
For the record, I mispronounced Jayszun's name, it’s pronounced ‘yaa-sn’. I apologize for this error. I had one job. Lol.
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Please remember when using tools of any type, there is the potential for injury. You are responsible for your own safety. Make sure you know how to use your tools properly, work at your own risk, be safe, wear your safety gear, and most of all, have fun!
#guitarbuilding #hayleyguitars #routerjig

[@DaisyHollowBooks]

I wish we’d all switch to metric next week and have done with it. I’d stomp around and be angry for six months because I wouldn’t know what the temperature was outside, then I’d adjust. It would make a lot of my projects so much easier! I love this project!

[@homebuiltshop]

I kind of agree. I like the imperial system as it all I really know, but we'd get used to metric and move on.

[@ruthlesscutthroat4030]

living on both sides of the ocean i can tell you both have their merits. for example i would always say "can u move the glass a couple inches from the edge of the table" and would never say " 5 centimetres...". I also would say its about a 1mm in width and never say whatever the hell fraction it is.

[@joelongstaff7601]

Another advantage is once you get used to it you measure in 1/2 or 1 mm that's 1/48 or 1/24 of an inch. I try to work to that degree but,lets say there's room to improve.

[@darthjarjarbinks8953]

From what I remember, they tried to switch back in the 50s or 60s, but it would have messed up a lot of stuff, so they never actually did it. I’m familiar with both, but I can understand some people’s struggles.

[@dappawap]

ha...I am Canadian, so Metric is nothing new, but my parwnts grew up Imperial, and I learned both in school,so I am familiar with Deg Fahrenheit in summer, Celcius in winter, mpg vs L/100km and feet inches is still standard for construction, but metric is hard to beat most of the time.

[@crunchysteve]

So, I decided to have a crack at designing my own, to fit my router. Made some changes, pivot slots in from the top, rather than hangs from elastic, which inverts the radii of the profile wheels (lower wheel radius for greater cut and vice-versa), but allows for working in even passes from one side of the neck, around to the other. I can also 3D print my radius wheels, making for a more mathematically precise curve transition. I haven't even built the design yet and I LOVE this tool. My estimate is less than AU$100 (~US$67) from go to woh-uo there, it's done. Less for me because I already have the necessary bearings for the profile wheels to run on and I'll only need a single 1200x600z12mm sheet of structural ply to build it. All of it other than the screws bolts and profile wheels. Thank you for showing me the way to realise a lifelong dream!

[@joelongstaff7601]

Sir just a note of thanks. 2 years ago I wrote you about this video and then built one of these jigs. I've made lots of necks in it and made a few changes but mostly it's the same. I like your clearly spoken well shown way of working. Thankyou! God bless.

[@JefAlanLong]

You can easily radius your fingerboards with this too. Nice job

[@martinschuringa6198]

Man i love your videos! They're so clear and well explained.

[@westleybruggeman2400]

As someone who is a novice guitar builder i really enjoyed the video and cant wait to make my own jig

[@71tbomb]

I'm Australian. So I was glad to see a vid done in metric. I'm also a printer by trade & worked for years in a factory with both new & old machines. Half still in Imperial. I'm glad I know both, but I prefer Metric. I just think it makes things a lot easier to work out. I was also taught Metric at school when I was a kid. but each to their own. Very good vid. Thank You.

[@k9taxi]

I can't find the plans on the Temple Guitars website. However, I did find a cool neck transition jig that I'm going to build. UPDATE: I found it. The info for the plans is not on his web site. It's in the description section of his youtube video for the jig. That video is only on his youtube channel and not on his web site.

[@TempleGuitars]

Hi mate. I don't have a website, just KZbin and Instagram.

[@buickkootje]

Well timed! Was planning to carve my neck tomorrow!

[@homebuiltshop]

Perfect! Good luck with it.

[@o.w.dobbins6927]

Really ingenious neck jig, great job!

[@profpep]

Nice work. Love the pencils trick. Going to use that one!

[@WeBuildStuff]

Almost finished my first guitar neck with the profile done with mostly handtools. If I continue making guitars for fun I'll totally build one of these!

[@mattfischer3853]

This is awesome. Simple solution, just have to be extremely accurate the first time, but after that what a time saver. Great idea, great video 👍

[@homebuiltshop]

Yes, if you take the time first, it will pay off later.

[@sentpacking3879]

Thanks Jeff,.... very timely as I just emailed you a day or so ago asking if you had plans for a neck jig, as you'd talked about this in a previous episode. THEN I went and missed this episode yesterday where you spoke about making the video above and the making of the jig. ...whew ! So thanks Jeff for this video. I'm hoping I can afford the plans for this jig from Temple s.Guitar Hi to all the usual suspects/viewers, I've missed chatting with you all. I have to go to bed earlier Tuesdays and get up earlier on Wednesday.

[@homebuiltshop]

We missed you!

[@basilreardon5783]

Damn great insight regarding lining the bit up for drilling 👍

[@FredMcIntyre]

Awesome work Jeff! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@homebuiltshop]

Thank You Fred!

[@robertr4193]

Nice adjustable jig for quicker neck profiling. Neat idea. I'll have to checkout Temple Guitars to find plans.

[@MakinSawdust]

Great video Jeff!!

[@homebuiltshop]

Thank You! Hope you're doing great.

[@lolitawilson4970]

Awesome Work!!!

[@jeffhampton6972]

These videos are so helpful! Thank you for making them. :D

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks. I'm happy they're helpful.

[@oneconsc3333]

I knew this was possible.... it's nice working with hand tools and feeling the wood BUT, even if you at masking Neri expensive guitars... always a good thing when you can save time🙏🏻🇨🇦

[@2AChef-n-BBQ]

Yeah, it's a very common jig, and works really well... Good demo

[@homebuiltshop]

I've wanted to make one for a while but there were some aspects of it I didn't fully understand. Having a plan to work from, really helped me understand everything. Now I know what I need to do for version 2.

[@2AChef-n-BBQ]

@@homebuiltshop I never built one because I build mainly neck through, so they don't apply😝

[@Terribleguitarist89]

Really cool idea, definitely would love to build one with some V and U cams to satiate my 50s fender neck fetish lol

[@ontherhodes8088]

Great channel Jeff. Greetings from Australia.

[@byronmiller3159]

Awesome video!

[@eskrimadorchris]

Nice! Now...put the whole box on a slide track and build a mount bracket for the router tool so you can have both hands on the carve box and the router can be held stationary. You'll gain more control over your carve that way. You'll also want to find your max depth for your router so you will have consistent carves, and gauge each time you put the router in place to work. Nice DIY tool!!!!!

[@homebuiltshop]

There are so many mods that can be done from here. I've seen some amazing versions of jigs like this.

[@jamesbagshaw8251]

Very good!

[@SkyscraperGuitars]

Very cool!

[@dawsonwurdeman5531]

That’s awesome! Never done luthier work but have wanted to for awhile. I wonder if you could possibly put a roller/rail system, like in a drawer, to make the shaping process smoother. A quality of life thing if it works but still cool.

[@homebuiltshop]

Yes, that might work great too. There are so many modifications, improvements, and changes you can do.

[@timmyrock4629]

Made one! Ty!!! Used some springs from a lamp!

[@whitemaneric4548]

it's nice . I understand the concept thanks

[@dsb227]

Wow! Nice Dude!

[@chrisperkins5671]

I sympathise with you struggling with metric to imperial. For me the struggle is the other way round. It becomes one of the skills you need to do stuff. I am still baffled that anyone would cling on to the imperial system where you need to do mental gymnastics to work out if one fraction is bigger or smaller than another. I suppose it becomes obvious if you are used to it. Great video. Very helpful. Thanks

[@dannyriter4046]

Appreciate you sharing your neck carving jig. Was going to make one and was modeling it after yours. Also wanted to share the jig from Randy’s Guitars and Broncos (part 4 in his series). He adds a riser at both ends of the jig that lifts the router nearly eliminating the need to blend in the valute (not sure of spelling) area and the body joining end of the neck. Thinking you might also come up with a few upgrades. Check it out if you have time.

[@homebuiltshop]

The riser is a great idea. That would save quite a bit of extra shaping.

[@TempleGuitars]

Thanks Jeff! Looks better than mine haha!

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks! I am looking forward to making necks even more now. I'm working on a few different cams now for different profiles.

[@AlanKaruzo]

This man is pro!

[@matsmagnem7517]

Subscribed 😎👍 Awesome!

[@andrewgray9663]

I don't build guitars, don't even play guitar, but I still happily watched every minute of this. Now that you have tried using metric measurements what do you think? Would you ever adopt the devil's measurement?

[@homebuiltshop]

I think I'll do a short video soon about that. I honestly think I like it. The math is way easier and for some reason I feel I can be more accurate with it.

[@tedposobiec]

Very good video thank you

[@luissaints7082]

thanks excelent technic !

[@davidmead9799]

Love your channel sir. You're very inspiring. Im curious how this would work with a scarf jointed neck

[@fredchatham6680]

Brilliant. Idea.

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks!

[@93BossRoss]

Your videos are awesome man. And also, you look so much like a specific movie actor who I can't place and it's pissing me off.

[@MarkFromTaiwan]

really smart

[@angelsbum]

Great video, very informative and good personality. One question, where can I find templates for cams for different necks. This video made a lot of sense to me. I will be having a go at making a neck now.

[@fermisparadox01]

I don't understand any of it. Can you help me

[@omorganstudios]

Yeah I get it 8:38 they are kinda scaling it or extending the shape as if you are making a long tapered cylinder👍

[@maxkaffeine4225]

Love your 04:44-07:04 T-shirt.

[@mrfatbobrider1969]

Hey Jeff , love the content and happy comment here in New Zealand,great stuff dude.😎✌

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks! I appreciate it. I hope things are great in New Zealand.

[@mrfatbobrider1969]

@@homebuiltshop everything good at this end , hope you guys are handling this covid epidemic..take care out there.

[@believitornot9775]

Sure, I will do it.

[@ReeWebster]

Bones Red “standard.” Gotta love it 😂

[@JBSlickflyer]

A bull nose router bit might make to easier to transition, when you carve the heel and headstock transitions.

[@PaulWilliamsheiowge]

Excellent idea. Any chance you could show one of these modified for a through neck with angled headstock? I'm building a through neck 6 string bass when I'm out of lockdown. Cheers.

[@homebuiltshop]

I believe Temple Guitars has done a modified version for angled headstocks. You might be able to contact him for a plan.

[@MasterZelgadis]

Yay for metric system! :D

[@Sohlguitars]

Love this tutorial, what is the bit/ size you're using to shape this ? (the yellow one) Thanks!

[@Reign_In_Blood_963]

Need plans for one that does the Strandberg profile. That's be great.

[@NicoTheLayabout]

Replicating Strandberg's neck profile would infringe their copyright, you'd need a license.

[@lucabennati360]

If the shape of the neck you want to achieve has a radius lenght of i.e. 2cm, and the template shape radius touching the bearing is long for example 3cm, it should be that the template is x1.5 than the real shape of the neck.

[@AlexTapisevic]

i´m still doing it by hand thamks.

[@andrzejszymaniec3763]

nice

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks

[@musikchanel6975]

Yes

[@truescotsman4103]

ive thought about using a router and a 1" round over bit. seems a lot of work for the same result.

[@davidmead9799]

Love your chanel and love your work. What is the bit size you use for the router??

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks, I used a 1/4" bit.

[@prvivozac]

genious :)

[@TheCerealQuiler]

I was trhinking about making a jig to create compound radius fingerboards and then found that video... One more invention someone else did before...

[@homebuiltshop]

I plan to try this for fretboards as well.

[@NeoGeoEch13]

I made one my self having seen the various jigs and tested it with three pine blocks. Cut lines are visible but you can sand them easily and it works great. However, to be honest, it scares the crap out of me that the router is taking off so much material, despite I try to make shallow passes, I don't "feel safe". Are you reversing the cutting direction past the first half of the neck, like you would if routing a body?

[@MarksmanGuitar]

Nice jig , good work . Its always faltering inspiring people.

[@jeanmanuelferreira6980]

Hello; Is it possible to have the dimensions of each element, please? very good job.

[@dnthasslehoff]

I don’t make guitars, but love me a good jig, nice project and hope it serves you well. How do you that battery powered router?

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks, I really like the router. I like the convenience of no having a cord to worry about. I use this one all the time.

[@mikkosutube]

great tip on aligning the bit with the guide mark..wonder why this didnt occur to me before...

[@Three_Eyed_Willy]

Interesting!!! Thanks!

[@stormman8393]

Great video. Could you use an already carved neck to dial in the cams?

[@homebuiltshop]

I bet you could. I think that could work great.

[@lecherousgaze]

If you learn how to do it by hand with a rasp it will be more rewarding in the long run! The first few were very slow and time consuming but before to long you can have a neck fully profiled in about 30 minutes

[@encryptor6710]

The rewarding part for me is getting it built faster to be able to play it. Im all for getting more accurate results everytime. Especially if you find a specific neck profile you like and want to copy. You can make exact cam templates for that neck. Bust them out in 5 minutes everytime.

[@zeetekton1016]

Good day sir... may i know what is the diameter of the two cams?.... the large one and the smaller one.. Thank you very much for your tutorial build..

[@davidclink2032]

Watched this a couple times. Also hours with 3d printing of parts. Went to Temple for plans but didn't work. I believe you could modify jig in the headstock & body end to rough away some of the hand work finishing those profiles. Possibly an adjustable router base to move east-west for careful freehanding flutes etc. 4 minutes for neck is awesome but still a couple hours or more in the headstock/ tail area. Just an idea. If you do your own plans for Fender Strst/Tele necks and cams eat let me know. No joy through Temple.

[@TempleGuitars]

I'd love to know what your issue was. I never heard anything from you?

[@RRVID]

Good Video Jeff. Thoughts on custom templates to allow the same jig to conical radius a fret board?

[@mrwaffles1394]

I would imagine using different sized cams would achieve that. Figuring out the ratio of cam to carve would be the first step. You could really use this jig for more than just neck carving.

[@homebuiltshop]

I'm making a set now to test it out. I think it'll work out well.

[@homebuiltshop]

You are right, getting the sizes correct is the hardest part. Once you get it down, the only change is in the profile.

[@yerblues10]

Watched a few of these neck router jig vids but still haven't seen anyone give away the dimensions for the neck profilers.

[@achille1st]

Hi, nice video. temple-guitar web site is down. Would ou have the plans of your jig please? Best regards and happy new year

[@rolandvanalphen4355]

Hi! Where can I find some measurement indications? Thnx!

[@paulwaldrop]

Almost at 100K subs. Do you have room in your shop for the arrow?

[@homebuiltshop]

I'll find a place if we get there. Lol.

[@EddieMetal68]

You can copy this jig with some modes, in order to clone neck profiles you want. Where the bearings touch the profile disks, remove the bearings and set the router bit right on that spot (one router for each side). (or a pencil for each side). Put new "blank" discs. Set one fixed guide on each side of the neck (headstock and guitar body), so the disks will move accordingly to the neck profile. A pair of wooden strips/bars connecting both sides of the frame will work ok. Turn manually the neck and you will have both disks milled or outlined. For short, reverse engineering! Don't forget to "hide" the fretboard Inside the carriage board, so the disks will not sum its thickness...

[@homebuiltshop]

This is a brilliant idea. Thanks for sharing. I need to experiment with it. I cant yet visualize how you reference the surface of the neck but I have an idea of it. If you've done this would you be able to email me more info? [e-mail]

[@EddieMetal68]

@@homebuiltshop it's very simple in fact. Look the template discs as "shadows" on the wall. The guitar neck is the object and the router bit (or in this case, to make the discs, the fixed wooden strips) are the candle... I will make a project using AutoCAD, then I can convert it to .pdf and send to your email address. I will not use measures, but I will put indications to use the same measures of your project already done. Just give me some days to sit back and draw everything!

[@EddieMetal68]

@@homebuiltshop sent... Let me know if you liked it or have any questions... Maybe I should have sent the simplest solution too. Tomorrow morning I will draw it, so you will not have to make extra parts...

[@TheBelltowertrio]

@@EddieMetal68 I this making my brain melt. Would you mind sending me that .pdf as well to [e-mail]? I would love to try this out!

[@EddieMetal68]

@@TheBelltowertrio sent

[@peterbutler5597]

You could cut a hole in the side for dust extraction

[@kk-om5zm]

καλημέρα Jeff. I hope you fell fine bro.Love from Europe, Grecce...

[@homebuiltshop]

Thanks man. All is well here. I wish the same for you.

[@gmac9667]

Hey man, how do you scale up radius to the correct size

[@headkickko609]

Kinda serves you right not having metric tools 🤣... Love the video bro, kinda makes me wanna send some metric callipers over.

[@homebuiltshop]

Serves me right. Lol. Thanks. I do need to find a good pair of metric calipers.

[@MrVirgilVox]

@@homebuiltshop working in metric? Welcome to 95% of worlds population. You are aware that you in the US are the odd ones with your complicated freedom units? 😎

[@stephenshoihet2590]

@@homebuiltshop get digital calipers, problem solved :-) and pretty much every smartphone calculator has a unit converter built in or just ask Google.

[@3dartstudio007]

How do you get metric frets lenghts to tune to american notes?!? LOL. Super cool video!

[@homebuiltshop]

Lol. Its a challenge. Thanks.

[@Lemmy30294]

Takes the fun out of it. Ok if you gotta do 10 necks a day. But really dehumanizes the process. I need to become one with the wood when carving and shaping a neck. To me it’s very personal- to feel the wood and the tools working together.

[@homebuiltshop]

I cant argue with that. I'll use this jig to get close, then fine tune it by hand from there. I do agree that the shaping is very calming.

[@patsox2004]

Guess you could use it for fret board radii as well. I wonder if you could set it up to do compound radii....

[@homebuiltshop]

I plan to test that theory. I'm pretty sure it would work but at this time, I haven't tried it yet.

[@patsox2004]

@@homebuiltshop Cool. Looking forward to seeing a video. Thanks

[@twoshedsjackson6478]

Do you play the mayor in Schitts Creek?

[@bobsegar1242]

Hey buddy, what’s the math on the wheels or where can I get the plans I found this cause I watched temple guitar videos and it was nice for you to explain the build. I have built my own but the math on the wheels I can’t seem to figure out

[@homebuiltshop]

If you extend the measurements of your neck out to the length of your jig, then add a certain amount (this can be whatever, as long as its the same for both cams) This becomes your cam size. For the profiles, I took the cross section of the 1st and 12th fret and applied it to the cam. Its just blown up to the size of the cam. I hope that helps a little. You can get the plans from Temple Guitars. You can email him at [e-mail]. He sells customized plans. If you already have a jig, you might just need to fine tune your cams though.

[@bobsegar1242]

@@homebuiltshop I bought some... mwahahahahaha I found your video cause I had watched jayzsuns before

[@Mossy5150]

This is cool, but my question is around protecting the truss-rod; if you're carving that aggressively, how are you sure you've indexed the cams to stay away from the truss-rod cavity? I'm sure ideally you'd have everything measured correctly, but it would be nice if there was some math to show avoidance of the truss-rod in the cam design. Great explainer, makes me want to go build one of these right now and start playing around!

[@bomark2002]

Wonder why no answer

[@DanielLopez-up6os]

How Much of this Would Be Achivable with hand tools if i dont have a router and a bandsaw etc? but only jigsaw hand router etc.

[@Graeck]

We should all be using metric! 😊

[@BrentJohn]

This is amazing! One question though: What was the exact diameter of the CAMs on each end? Or does it matter, so long as it's the proper profile?

[@homebuiltshop]

The diameter sounds tricky but its not too bad. Its basically the profile of the neck at the first fret and 12th fret, then just scaled up equally.

[@BrentJohn]

@@homebuiltshop So is it the exact width of the neck at the 1st and 12th fret respectively?

[@homebuiltshop]

In theory it could be but that would make the cam pretty small. Once you have that size figured out, then you can just scale it up so its not tiny.

[@mrfrontranger7911]

Is the neck taper end to end taken into account or is the thickness same at both ends.it would be interesting to see an update on the disc shape to see the actual relationship or maybe just do an IG post on the updates .thanks man. Doing metric conversions 🙀

[@homebuiltshop]

The taper is factored in. Its based on the different sizes of the cams. The headstock end is a smaller cam which makes the neck narrower than the heel end.

[@TempleGuitars]

It's also designed so the 12th fret and the 1st fret have a Z Axis difference of 2mm built in, so it's thicker at the heel end than the headstock end.

[@mrfrontranger7911]

Temple Guitars very cool. Im ready to build mine.

[@DangerNoodle-yw8yt]

Great videos but they skipped over some crucial details about setting up accuracy. Like for example, how to mount the neck so that the centre of the neck is where you want it to be in the jig. Or how to set the radius. Or how you managed to make a left and right handed headstock pocket.

[@Nick-sh8dv]

Centerline?

[@eddododo]

Did you find a good way to translate the guide puck disk thing shape to a neck profile? Is it simply a matter of taking the profile you want it and blowing it up a little bit ?

[@homebuiltshop]

It is just blowing up the shape you want. The only tricky part is getting them the right sizes.

[@TerryD15]

You mantion metric calipers. There are digital calipers that convert imperial to metric at the touch of a button, some even do fractional measurements as well. I can't understand why you would have a single system device. All of my calipers here in the UK have dual capacity.

[@homebuiltshop]

I don't have any digital calipers. Mine are all dial calipers. If I get a pair of digital ones, I'll get one that does both.

[@TerryD15]

@@homebuiltshop Hi, get one that does imperial fractions as well - really worth it. Love the jig by the way, sorry I didn't say that in my earlier post.

[@walterrider9600]

thank you . question please why did you not use a radius router bit so you would not have straight shoulders ?

[@homebuiltshop]

I didn't have a rounded bit at this time. I have since gotten one but for some reason, this straight bit still gives me a nicer surface. I'm still trying different ones though. I think I need to find one with just the right profile.

[@hatespirit]

Great stuff right there! where can we find the plants for this jig? i mean, is it free?

[@homebuiltshop]

I purchased these plans from my friend at Temple Guitars. He makes customized plans for these jigs. Here's his video with links in the description. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJLGZ2WZar2ZqLM

[@hatespirit]

@@homebuiltshop thank you so much!!!!!!

[@redwildgeeza]

OOohh... to have all those tools....

[@fredro9289]

excellent, how could I get the plans for this jig? Thank you

[@homebuiltshop]

You can get them from my buddy J at Temple Guitars. shoot him an email to [e-mail]