Hello. I’m building my first mandolin with Stewmac’s F5 kit, using the video created by Don McRostie. I thought I followed Don’s instructions carefully in measuring neck fit. I also used the Siminoff jig that’s often been suggested to measure height at the bridge and came up with 5/8” there. Neck angle is about 6 degrees.
Now that I’m farther along in the build, and after reading several posts about neck fit problems on the forum, I think my neck fit is wrong. With the neck pushed firmly into the dovetail joint, the overstand on my build is slightly below the top at the neck joint (about 1/16”).
I can’t raise the neck in the dovetail joint without creating a gap where the heel meets the back, and would prefer to not have to glue in a heel extension, as I understand that has to be a strong joint. If I attach the finger board in the current position, it would barely clear the top at the extension block and would leave almost no room for the finger board extension support. I’m wondering if it would make sense to add a piece of veneer or other thin layer of wood under the finger board (it’s not glued on yet) to raise the overstand and cover the seam with binding. I would probably then have to reshape the entire neck to make up for the added thickness.
I’d appreciate any other thoughts or suggestions. Thanks for your help!
Bookmarks