Telecaster build - neck completion

First job, to make it to the shed without disturbing the foxes or catching rabies off them... not sure how they managed to get up there, but they seemed comfy...



This was the end state of the headstock after the last session. It was too pointy, so I rounded it down



And spent a little time on the transition between the neck and the headstock:



and similarly at the heel:



With the heel and the headstock close to their final shapes, I worked with files and sandpaper to finalise the neck profile, and join up those 1st and 12th fret profiles. Once it's close, you can run over the whole neck with a straight edge, around the whole profile, to make sure it's straight all the way round and along its length:



It is straight, and the profile is an even "C" along its whole length.

The next job is to glue the fretboard to the neck. I used my new fret cleaning saw to clear out the glue in the fret slots (it got in there at the edge of the fret slots when the binding was glued on):



This was unexpectedly stressful  - the little saw is very sharp and it's easy to slip out of the fret slots where there's hardened glue.

Now the truss rod must be installed in its final position. The end of the neck is finish sanded - it will be significantly harder once the truss rod is in as the metal adjusting nut may get scratched by the sandpaper:



And the end of the truss rod channel is squared off with a chisel:



We then use silicon at various points along the truss rod to hold it in the slot - although it will be held in tight by the fretboard once installed, the silicon will make sure it doesn't rattle in the neck:



Then the neck is glued up (tape temporarily covers the truss rod channel):



Clamped:



And completed:






Next up are side dots and the radiused headstock transition on the front of the neck.