Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi

I am completing my kit OM and starting a new build from scratch. I noticed that on my OM kit the nut sits on top of the angle of the headstock whereas the my plans allow for the placing of the nut
at the end fretboard on the flat part of the fingerboard - my conclusion therefore is that it makes no difference other than an allowance has to made on the marking out of the overall dimensions of the neck blank. What are the pros and cons of the nut placement if any.

John

The only ones I've done were angled cause I thought they looked better. I don't use any special nut files (maybe something I might want to have?). I didn't think they were especially hard to do although it would obviously be easier if there wasn't an angle on the bottom of the nut. I use a razor saw to make the angled cut on the headstock overlay and clean the channel with a small chisel. The angle on the bottom of the nut is made with the adjustable table and a masonite extension on my disk sander.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

John : Some folks get quite excited about gluing the nut into place. I like to not glue the nut,because of that I keep the nut bottom on top of neck rather then the slopping head. I cut the same slope on the head plate to the same angle as the head and glue that cut end corresponding to the apex of the angle on the neck. This leaves me with a 90 degree angle. I then glue the fingerboard on spaced about .200 from end of headplate. A lot of time this leaves a slot that is tapered a thou or two from side to side.I then fit the nut to be a sliding fit from the widest to narrowest so that it holds snugly at the correct position. Then I DO NOT GLUE the nut into position.If someone has to change the nut it is very simple to remove and no need to clean up glue residue. This works for me and others do what they prefer.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

You should be able to pick up about half of the guitar by a well fitted nut, angled or not, when the nut has not been glued in place... yet.

I still glue my nuts.... in place even when it's a nice, tight, snap in place fit so that if say the client lets the guitar dry out, and they will do that..., the nut doesn't come off during a string change and the client freaks out.

I don't find making the angled nuts any more difficult either. It's simply two perfectly flat faces at a precise angle. What can be dicey for me at least is when the nut slot is humped in or near the middle by say a swelled truss rod cap or cover. I have not had much luck with shop-made files trying to flatten a hump and instead find a sharp chisel to be faster and easier.