Can't wait to see the next video!!! You are amazing man, seriously.... I hope that one day I'm going to be as good as you. Sorry for my bad english, Greetings from Argentina!!
Greetings from Mineral Bluff, Georgia. I love your videos. Very well done, very helpful. This one is extremely helpful and encouraging, as I long ago sold my big bandsaw, before I ever thought about building a mandolin. The 7 1'2" one I have is handy but inadequate, so seeing you do this by hand is awesome. Thanks for all your efforts in showing us all how to do these things. ja
Amazing. I am going to have to get out busking every day to finish paying you LOL. You are just flying now. Thanks for keeping the vids coming. It's like watching a child grow up
You are very welcome Barry... I love making fretboards.. and I can’t wait to get started on this one!!! I’m really happy you are enjoying watching the videos of the making of your new instrument!!
Thank you so much for this. I have struggled with this joint for years never understanding how and where to adjust to get rid of the shoulder gaps. The majority of people use a router which I don’t and there is little to no information on how to do this joint by hand so thanks again for he explanation.
You are very welcome Michelle.. it can be daunting... best advice would be not to rush it.. Btw, I did receive your email but was too busy to get back to you ... I will try to send you a reply asap.. Thanks for watching!!
Building my first Ukulele after 2 concert guitars,thought about how ill make the dovetail joint by hand... well Thank you Sir, i worry no more. Thank you for passing on your wisdom :)
I love watching you go through this process. After building the body I would be terrified to cut that dovetail for the neck. I wonder how many instruments it took you before you mastered this.
It’s always a nerve racking process.. I always allow myself a lot of time to make it.. I have yet to mess one up. But if it ever happened I could always fix it... hopefully I never have to make a video about that;) Thanks for watching..
FYI, a neck glued with Titebond (original) can be removed with the same procedure as one with hide glue, just a little more time with the steam to soften. The longer open time of Titebond takes some of the stress out of a complicated or fiddly glue up.
I always keep the template facing the same way.. meaning that if the scribe lines are out to trace the neck they will be in tracing the body.. just in case there would be a slightly different angle from one side or the other.. thanks for watching Chris.
very nice of you to create such a great video? How is the Martin Guitar dovetail neck joint so unique and renowned? How is your design and technique different than Martin's?
Thank you so much for making this video! I found it very helpful and inspiring for a current project I am working on. I have some building videos I'd like to make myself. If you don't mind me asking, what type of camera / mic setup do you use? Your video and sound quality are very nice
Glad you found this video helpful.. that’s always nice to hear.. I use a Canon DSLR T5i. I don’t have a mic other than the one in the camera. My very first build videos were made with my IPhone. The upgrade made a big difference.
Thank you Tomy! Had to search for awhile before I found a video on how to cut a dovetail by hand! Spectacular work! Is there a video that explains how to make the entire neck? Thank you kindly!
Glad it was helpful and that you enjoyed. I have made a full playlist including all the steps to make this instrument. You will find the video you are looking after in this playlist. Thanks for watching... ruclips.net/p/PLAoIsxfenTwYWTdxDy6WIon8oNYdaWi50
Beautiful work. I admire your patience and extreme attention to detail. How did you make the dovetail plexiglass template? I tried to make my own, but am not happy with the outcome
I trace the heel of the neck down and made a triangle from it on paper. then I put a line down the same distance as how deep the dovetail will be. this line then becomes the top of the template. just have to add the dovetail line again and where you want it to stop. Hope this helps!
Una union en cola de milano, a mano es critico si no tienes experiencia te puede volver loco, en caso de error como se corrige si te as pasado con el ajuste y el mastil queda suelto o lo tienes que desechar ? gracias por tus videos
Greetings, and thank you for this video. Are dovetail neck joints suitable for flat-top acoustics and solid-body electrics as well. Put another way, if I master this type of neck joint are there luthier applications where it's not the best or badly suited? Peace.
Hi Joel, Flat top use dovetail also. But they do have other options like a bolted neck. Most archtop use dovetail like this one ( tapered) and also like in my Mandocello neck dovetail video ( straight). For electric the bolt on fender style seems to be a favourite but lots of options here. You can run your neck material all the way down to the tail end or, like an es-335 a tenon style. I would use a dovetail joint on an electric.
the template information is part of the Drawing I made available and unfortunately I am not selling them separately. I am sure you can appreciate the time involved in just creating this template and video on how to use it. For this reason I feel that the asking price for the whole PDF is very well priced and gives more than one template. I do appreciate your interest and if you want to have a second look at the PDF drawings for the Octave Mandolin I will leave a link here.. thanks www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/p11/OctaveMandolinPDF.html
Awesome work. I always enjoy watching your content. Couple of things I’m curious about....What kind of chisel are you using to fit the neck? It appears to be a one piece steel chisel. Why yellow glue vs hide glue?
The chisel was my fathers and I got it when he passed. Nothing fancy about it , I just like to used the tools I have from him.. the glue, there are many different glue out there and depending what you prefer you’ll be using a certain glue. Hide glue is a very good glue the same for AR glue. I just prefer using the AR personally.. glad you enjoyed the video!
The template is part of the octave mandolin blueprints on my website www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Thanks for your interest
Hi Lars, the neck angle was established when building the neck. I cut a 6 degree angle at the back of the heel. The second part is to keep the tail Part of the joint ( in the body) 90 degrees.. you can do this by measuring from the face like I did when it was 3/4”. So when they get together they will create the proper angle. If you need to move side to side, you remove wood on the pin ( neck) on the side you want the neck to move towards.
Thanks! I use those chisel because they used to be my fathers chisel. They are framer ,Craftman chisel with a steel handle.. Nothing special really, except for me.. Thanks for watching...
The reason for the 1/8" gap when you did your first fit was that you aligned your template with the edge of raised section of the top and not the edge of the binding, as it should have been. Other than that, a fabulous video. Thank you.
Thanks for watching Rob! But if you look again at 3:50 ish I’m explaining that point and use the edge of the binding and not the top of the raised section. I got the extra 1/8 by cutting on the inside of the line on the body and outside of the line on the neck heel...
Hi Tomy, How do you know what size to make your Template? You did not give any information on the length or width of your plexiglass Templet. I certainly enjoyed watching your workmanship. Very nice indeed.
Hi Russell, all the information including the template are on the Octave Mandolin blueprints available on my website. Thanks for your interest and feedback. www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Hello Tomy, Thanks again for this series. It's marvelous, and I would love to build one. Do you sell your plans? This instrument is similar to the one Sarah Jarosz plays. Your work is gorgeous.
Thank you Jim... I’m making changes at the moment to the prints as I go along.. the fact being that it’s the first one coming out from those drawings.. depending on the interest i might get them made into actually sellable blueprints.. I don’t have the computer skills to do this myself.. thanks for your interest!
I’ll look at what I s available to distribute and print full size drawing . If I can still make a profit I will definitely make them available. Thanks for your interest Jim..
I used a 1:5 on this build only because of the taper of the backboard at the heel. The height was minimal. Does it matter? Well, I believe what matters is to have as much material from the neck in the neck block as possible. So on a wider instrument I would use a 1:6, maybe even 1:8 . I’m not set on a particular ratio. I just make the dovetail in that way to maximize the integrity of the neck side without compromising the neck block .
Great thanks. In general woodworking the usual answer is that the dovetail ratio is based on esthetics. But what you say makes sense - to use as much neck material as you can.@@HovingtonInstruments
Nice work, thanks. Thing is, the point of most dovetail neck joints is to bolt them to the body, not glue them. Gluing the joint has no advantages over a Spanish heel method, save for the minor luxury of easier binding attachment since the neck is not in the way when you install the binding. Bolt on necks allow for neck angle adjustment with shims, if necessary.
Hi Tomy, I'm building my first acoustic guitar. Do you sell the plans to make the triangular clear acrylic template for making a dovetail joint on an acoustic guitar? I scrolled through the comments to see if anyone else has asked but I cannot locate any info. I also scrolled through your wonderful and helpful website but did not see anything referencing the dovetail template. Thank you Tomy.
The dovetail template layout in this video is included in the Octave Mandolin blueprints. Depending on the size of your neck heel It might work. But I cannot say it will 100% What prints are you following for your build? Odd that this isn’t included..
@@HovingtonInstruments I am looking to replace a broken neck on a vintage archtop,,, How would I get a formula for the template so if I bought a blank neck I could cut the dovetail to correct specs. Thank you so much
@@chrisn527 my best guess without seeing the instrument in question would be to use the neck dovetail angle viewed from the top to dictate the actual triangle. Then the first line of the triangle would be the actual depth of the dovetail inside the neck block. From this you should be able to recreate the proper angles the same way I did in this video. Hope this helps
The acrylic jig is part of the Octave mandolin blueprints available on my website . Thanks for your interest.. www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/p11/OctaveMandolinPDF.html
All the sizes and layout are available on the blueprints and can be obtained following this link. Thanks for your interest www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
You begin by saying you'll show how to make the template, but all you do is cut out a shape and scribe lines that have already been laid down. What are the dimensions, angles, and other measurements? In using the template, the scribed lines should be adjacent the material to be marked, not on top of the template, which can introduce parallax errors in placement. You discuss how to adjust for skew and twist of the neck, but how do you determine and establish the neck's break angle? Cutting and chiseling the way shown makes it seem a matter of luck in getting the neck angle correct.
Wolf Lahti all of the dimensions, break angle etc... are on the full size print available on my website. Template layouts too. www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Thanks again. Looking forward to your next video.
This is very impressive. Building a dovetail like that by hand is incredible.
Thanks Alan, really rewarding
Thanks for sharing this. It's beautifully done and presented
Thanks Matt
Awesome job Tomy , thank you for sharing !😊👍👍
Welcome Michel! And thank you for watching...
Thank you Tomy !! I learned a lot. Great work with that chisel!
Glad to hear Will , and thanks
Excellent craftsmanship!
Thanks Jeff
And again as always, it's about patience and accuracy. Really enjoyable to watch!
Thanks Gerrit! It's nearing completion... I Better go get some strings soon!
Beautiful work.
Thank you Matthew!
Great Work, great explanation. Thank you!
Tomy, You are a Master Craftsman I cannot wait for the next video. Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas to you too Scott... the next video on this build will most likely be in the new year! Have a great holiday season!!!
Thnkx for sharing your layout tool...can only imagine how joints you have behind you now...
I understand what it takes to do what you do.
You are truly a master.
Thanks Marcel! That means a lot...
Excellent job. Very informative.
Thanks Jamie, glad you found something useful in this video!
Nicely done.
I really appreciate your teaching demeanor and the sharing of your awesome skills!
Thanks for the feedback Ed, I really appreciate!
Really instructive, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching Nicolas
Wonderfully explained process & a captivating video
Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Can't wait to see the next video!!!
You are amazing man, seriously....
I hope that one day I'm going to be as good as you.
Sorry for my bad english, Greetings from Argentina!!
Thanks for watching Braian, I'm really happy you enjoyed the video!!
Great accuracy, nice work.
Thanks Tom!
Stubbled onto your video and checked out your website! Your instruments are just beautiful!
Thanks little Sasquatch.. welcome aboard!! Glad you are enjoying the videos:)
Greetings from Mineral Bluff, Georgia. I love your videos. Very well done, very helpful. This one is extremely helpful and encouraging, as I long ago sold my big bandsaw, before I ever thought about building a mandolin. The 7 1'2" one I have is handy but inadequate, so seeing you do this by hand is awesome. Thanks for all your efforts in showing us all how to do these things. ja
Thanks for the feedback John, glad you are enjoying the videos!
Nice job!
Amazing. I am going to have to get out busking every day to finish paying you LOL. You are just flying now. Thanks for keeping the vids coming. It's like watching a child grow up
You are very welcome Barry... I love making fretboards.. and I can’t wait to get started on this one!!! I’m really happy you are enjoying watching the videos of the making of your new instrument!!
Brilliant ... thank you
Very cool.
Thanks!
Thanks
Thanks so much!
You are welcome
Thank you so much for this. I have struggled with this joint for years never understanding how and where to adjust to get rid of the shoulder gaps. The majority of people use a router which I don’t and there is little to no information on how to do this joint by hand so thanks again for he explanation.
You are very welcome Michelle.. it can be daunting... best advice would be not to rush it.. Btw, I did receive your email but was too busy to get back to you ... I will try to send you a reply asap.. Thanks for watching!!
Building my first Ukulele after 2 concert guitars,thought about how ill make the dovetail joint by hand... well Thank you Sir, i worry no more. Thank you for passing on your wisdom :)
Glad the content is useful Daniel! Let me know how your neck joint went!
Happy building!
Thanks for this good sharing...
Thanks, hope it’s helpful in some way
thank you Tomy
You’re welcome Walter!
Toda la explicación me gustaría en español me gustaría acer una para mi me gusta los estromentos musicales y quiero acer uno con mis propias manos
YOUR clamp is really cool
Thanks!
I love watching you go through this process. After building the body I would be terrified to cut that dovetail for the neck. I wonder how many instruments it took you before you mastered this.
It’s always a nerve racking process.. I always allow myself a lot of time to make it.. I have yet to mess one up. But if it ever happened I could always fix it... hopefully I never have to make a video about that;) Thanks for watching..
Very nice work! One thing that I might have done differently is to use Hyde glue for the glue up just in case the neck had to be reset in the future.
FYI, a neck glued with Titebond (original) can be removed with the same procedure as one with hide glue, just a little more time with the steam to soften. The longer open time of Titebond takes some of the stress out of a complicated or fiddly glue up.
Thank you for the video!! the topic seems a lot less scary now...at least , theoretically :)
Glad this video might be helpful in any way!! Thanks for watching
Beautiful. Try flipping your template over so the scribe lines are on the back side. That can make the alignment to your pencil marks much easier!
I always keep the template facing the same way.. meaning that if the scribe lines are out to trace the neck they will be in tracing the body.. just in case there would be a slightly different angle from one side or the other.. thanks for watching Chris.
Every body is an expert.
very nice of you to create such a great video? How is the Martin Guitar dovetail neck joint so unique and renowned? How is your design and technique different than Martin's?
Awesome work. It must be a bit nerve-racking to cut into something you‘ve put so much work into. Nice job!
Thanks, always is but also very rewarding;)
Thank you so much for making this video! I found it very helpful and inspiring for a current project I am working on. I have some building videos I'd like to make myself. If you don't mind me asking, what type of camera / mic setup do you use? Your video and sound quality are very nice
Glad you found this video helpful.. that’s always nice to hear.. I use a Canon DSLR T5i. I don’t have a mic other than the one in the camera. My very first build videos were made with my IPhone. The upgrade made a big difference.
Thank you Tomy! Had to search for awhile before I found a video on how to cut a dovetail by hand! Spectacular work! Is there a video that explains how to make the entire neck? Thank you kindly!
Glad it was helpful and that you enjoyed. I have made a full playlist including all the steps to make this instrument. You will find the video you are looking after in this playlist. Thanks for watching... ruclips.net/p/PLAoIsxfenTwYWTdxDy6WIon8oNYdaWi50
Beautiful work. I admire your patience and extreme attention to detail. How did you make the dovetail plexiglass template? I tried to make my own, but am not happy with the outcome
I trace the heel of the neck down and made a triangle from it on paper. then I put a line down the same distance as how deep the dovetail will be. this line then becomes the top of the template. just have to add the dovetail line again and where you want it to stop. Hope this helps!
Una union en cola de milano, a mano es critico si no tienes experiencia te puede volver loco, en caso de error como se corrige si te as pasado con el ajuste y el mastil queda suelto o lo tienes que desechar ? gracias por tus videos
Greetings, and thank you for this video. Are dovetail neck joints suitable for flat-top acoustics and solid-body electrics as well. Put another way, if I master this type of neck joint are there luthier applications where it's not the best or badly suited? Peace.
Hi Joel, Flat top use dovetail also. But they do have other options like a bolted neck. Most archtop use dovetail like this one ( tapered) and also like in my Mandocello neck dovetail video ( straight).
For electric the bolt on fender style seems to be a favourite but lots of options here. You can run your neck material all the way down to the tail end or, like an es-335 a tenon style.
I would use a dovetail joint on an electric.
This video is awesome. Would you consider selling a PDF version, of only the template?
the template information is part of the Drawing I made available and unfortunately I am not selling them separately. I am sure you can appreciate the time involved in just creating this template and video on how to use it. For this reason I feel that the asking price for the whole PDF is very well priced and gives more than one template. I do appreciate your interest and if you want to have a second look at the PDF drawings for the Octave Mandolin I will leave a link here.. thanks www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/p11/OctaveMandolinPDF.html
Yes it does. Thanks. What type of plexiglass do you sue and how do you cut it?
P Petrusa I use lexan about 1/8 thick. I cut it on the band saw with a 3/16 6 tpi blade.
Awesome work. I always enjoy watching your content. Couple of things I’m curious about....What kind of chisel are you using to fit the neck? It appears to be a one piece steel chisel. Why yellow glue vs hide glue?
The chisel was my fathers and I got it when he passed. Nothing fancy about it , I just like to used the tools I have from him.. the glue, there are many different glue out there and depending what you prefer you’ll be using a certain glue. Hide glue is a very good glue the same for AR glue. I just prefer using the AR personally.. glad you enjoyed the video!
Very good video. Could you put the measurements of the insole? I don't speak English and I don't know if you expressed them
The template is part of the octave mandolin blueprints on my website
www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Thanks for your interest
So how to you control the neck angle from this point as it's all manual labor?
Hi Lars, the neck angle was established when building the neck. I cut a 6 degree angle at the back of the heel. The second part is to keep the tail Part of the joint ( in the body) 90 degrees.. you can do this by measuring from the face like I did when it was 3/4”. So when they get together they will create the proper angle. If you need to move side to side, you remove wood on the pin ( neck) on the side you want the neck to move towards.
Did you transfer the body angle to the neck block before cutting the dovetail?
Great video. What chisel are you using?
Thanks! I use those chisel because they used to be my fathers chisel. They are framer ,Craftman chisel with a steel handle.. Nothing special really, except for me.. Thanks for watching...
it can also work for a guitar?
The reason for the 1/8" gap when you did your first fit was that you aligned your template with the edge of raised section of the top and not the edge of the binding, as it should have been. Other than that, a fabulous video. Thank you.
Thanks for watching Rob! But if you look again at 3:50 ish I’m explaining that point and use the edge of the binding and not the top of the raised section. I got the extra 1/8 by cutting on the inside of the line on the body and outside of the line on the neck heel...
Ooooops sorry. My humblest apologies, great video.
No worries! No apology needed... I actually had to go back and watch, for a bref second I thought I had screwed up ... :)
Hi Tomy, How do you know what size to make your Template? You did not give any information on the length or width of your plexiglass Templet. I certainly enjoyed watching your workmanship. Very nice indeed.
Hi Russell, all the information including the template are on the Octave Mandolin blueprints available on my website. Thanks for your interest and feedback.
www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Great video! What dimensions is the dovetail template?
Thanks Axel, I have all the details of all jigs on my PDF blueprint. ruclips.net/video/b72YZaAF-WE/видео.html. Thanks for watching
where can i print out pattern for dovetail that you use
Dobie toms In sell the drawings here . ruclips.net/video/b72YZaAF-WE/видео.html
Hello Tomy, Thanks again for this series. It's marvelous, and I would love to build one. Do you sell your plans? This instrument is similar to the one Sarah Jarosz plays. Your work is gorgeous.
Thank you Jim... I’m making changes at the moment to the prints as I go along.. the fact being that it’s the first one coming out from those drawings.. depending on the interest i might get them made into actually sellable blueprints.. I don’t have the computer skills to do this myself.. thanks for your interest!
Please get those plans done if you can. I’d love to purchase.
I’ll look at what I s available to distribute and print full size drawing . If I can still make a profit I will definitely make them available. Thanks for your interest Jim..
Tomy - Great video. What is the ratio of the dovetail you use and do you think it matters?
I used a 1:5 on this build only because of the taper of the backboard at the heel. The height was minimal.
Does it matter? Well, I believe what matters is to have as much material from the neck in the neck block as possible. So on a wider instrument I would use a 1:6, maybe even 1:8 . I’m not set on a particular ratio. I just make the dovetail in that way to maximize the integrity of the neck side without compromising the neck block .
Great thanks. In general woodworking the usual answer is that the dovetail ratio is based on esthetics. But what you say makes sense - to use as much neck material as you can.@@HovingtonInstruments
can you send me the file to print to create the plexiglass shape?
Hi Christian, the template is on this drawing. Thanks for your interest
www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/p11/OctaveMandolinPDF.html
Nice work, thanks. Thing is, the point of most dovetail neck joints is to bolt them to the body, not glue them. Gluing the joint has no advantages over a Spanish heel method, save for the minor luxury of easier binding attachment since the neck is not in the way when you install the binding. Bolt on necks allow for neck angle adjustment with shims, if necessary.
Dovetail neck joints are almost always glued, mortise and tenon neck joints are almost always bolted on
@@somedude3601 he's such an idiot that he couldn't comprehend that a dovetail joint cannot be adjusted without removing the material 🤣
Hi Tomy, I'm building my first acoustic guitar. Do you sell the plans to make the triangular clear acrylic template for making a dovetail joint on an acoustic guitar? I scrolled through the comments to see if anyone else has asked but I cannot locate any info. I also scrolled through your wonderful and helpful website but did not see anything referencing the dovetail template. Thank you Tomy.
The dovetail template layout in this video is included in the Octave Mandolin blueprints.
Depending on the size of your neck heel It might work. But I cannot say it will 100%
What prints are you following for your build? Odd that this isn’t included..
@@HovingtonInstruments I am looking to replace a broken neck on a vintage archtop,,, How would I get a formula for the template so if I bought a blank neck I could cut the dovetail to correct specs. Thank you so much
@@chrisn527 my best guess without seeing the instrument in question would be to use the neck dovetail angle viewed from the top to dictate the actual triangle. Then the first line of the triangle would be the actual depth of the dovetail inside the neck block.
From this you should be able to recreate the proper angles the same way I did in this video. Hope this helps
What are the measurements for the acrylic jig?????
The acrylic jig is part of the Octave mandolin blueprints available on my website . Thanks for your interest..
www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/p11/OctaveMandolinPDF.html
Where are the measurements for the template
Hey, the template is part of the drawing that you can get on my website.
www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/p11/OctaveMandolinPDF.html
Cheers
Subscribe. Thanks for sharing
Welcome aboard Olen 👍
Pls give me sizes
All the sizes and layout are available on the blueprints and can be obtained following this link. Thanks for your interest www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
You begin by saying you'll show how to make the template, but all you do is cut out a shape and scribe lines that have already been laid down. What are the dimensions, angles, and other measurements?
In using the template, the scribed lines should be adjacent the material to be marked, not on top of the template, which can introduce parallax errors in placement.
You discuss how to adjust for skew and twist of the neck, but how do you determine and establish the neck's break angle? Cutting and chiseling the way shown makes it seem a matter of luck in getting the neck angle correct.
Wolf Lahti all of the dimensions, break angle etc... are on the full size print available on my website. Template layouts too.
www.hovingtoninstruments.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Contact info????
www.hovingtoninstruments.com/contact.html
Lookin' thru a glass onion...
Thanks for watching.