Headstock Ears and Face
   
Now is the time to get the full width on the headstock. By gluing the "ears" on the sides of the headstock, the critical neck/headstock junction is made much stronger.
   
The "long" grain of the ears reinforces the "short" grain of the headstock. This is because the headstock is milled on the bias (15 degrees) compared to the grain direction of the neckshaft. The headstock rigs in the fixture and the ears are located automatically. The cyanoacrylate is applied, the toggles are thrown and the job is done.
   
I use the cyanoacrylate so I do not introduce any moisture into the wood. The glue joint will be covered front and back with the headstock and ducktail plates and will therefore be invisible. The ears are slightly below the headstock face at this time.
   
The next step will be to mill the face and ears flush and to a reference surface. This removes the step left from the ears being below the surface and also creates the final surface for the headstock plate to glue on.
   
Note the vacuum seal around the perimeter of the fixture. The ears in the back have already been routed flush with the ducktail surface. This step will create the almost-final thickness of the headstock mahogany. There is one more step on the CNC to achieve the ultimate accuracy I require.
   
The router easily rides over the side standards of the fixture while the face is milled cleanly with a helical HSS endmill. There is dust-collection in the back that is hidden from view.
   
Freshly milled, flat and true. In other words, the last thing wood wants to be. That is why I keep the neck blanks seasoning so long--so they are as stable as wood can possibly be.
   
The finished operation. Even with all the fail-safe features of the fixtures, I still check and double check every critical dimension with the digital calipers. I measure accuracy in thousandths of an inch. This part of the neck operation is very satisfying. Guitar building is tough but fun.
   
 

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