Using a very simple jig I started shaping the fingerboard profile. The jig is just two parallel strips of wood secured to the bench, these are spaced to just about the width of the profiled sanding block I will be using.
The profile block was made a few months ago by attaching sandpaper to a bicycle wheel and working the block until the diameter of the wheel was transferred to the block.
Gradually the profile starts to take shape although there is quite some work to do yet to accommodate the nut I have for this neck without having to shim it higher.
I have secured the neck with shims and blocks but crucially the bench has a none slip surface which stops everything from sliding backwards and forwards, without this I could use another block at the heel of the neck to stop it moving one way but I would have to be inventive securing the head end.
I want the fingerboard to be 7mm at its thickest central point. The neck itself will be 35mm at the heel making it 42mm in total at it's thickest point. This should also leave the strings in the nut at a good height.
I had left the overhang a little long, I then figured I was spending a lot of time sanding something I would eventually trim so I squared off the overhang to the required length with my electric mitre saw.
I couldn't resist wiping the neck down with a little white spirit to give myself an idea of what the finished fingerboard will look like (not the greatest picture I'm afraid but looking great in real life!).
There is still a lot more levelling to do to get the thickness just right and to make sure the neck has both the correct profile and it also level. It is easy to concentrate on one area without realising and to end up with an uneven profile. This is the shortcoming of the profile block I made, I really need one much longer to ensure everything remains level.
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