I worked on the neck profile again, and although it’s getting close, I’m still not satisfied. It still is too much of a D-shape. I don’t want a C-shape, but it does need to be more towards a C-shape from where it’s now. The current state of the neck now looks like this:

Needing a break from the neck shaping, I turned to the neck joint. First, figuring this out like drill size, location and order:

I first marked the locations of the neck screws from the inside of the pocket (easier to reference, since I have a one piece body under the top it’s a bit harder to determine the center line as a reference for any measurements). Then I drilled from within the neck pocket to the back of the body with a 1.5 mm drill bit. This gave me little guides for the ferrule holes

I first used a 16 mm brad bit for the 15 mm ferrules but I didn’t like the result, so I went to the hobby store for a 15 mm forstner bit and I think it’s worth every penny! The result is very clean and the ferrule just pops in, really nice. Didn’t work with this type of bit yet, but I love’em! So, an action shot of the ferrule hole drilling:

.. and the result, very clean:

After drilling these holes, I used the marks made by the point of the forstner bit to center the drill for the screw holes. I drilled the 3 mm holes right through body and neck at the same time. Then, I re-drilled the holes in the body to 4 mm. Installation went perfect and I like the result a lot:

Of course, we need a close up:

It does look a bit dirty around the screws and ferrules, but that’s the candle wax I used to help the screws a bit. I can assure you, with the right measurements and drilling, using any kind of wax, the screws drive in perfectly and do not bind or snap at all.

She’s coming together nicely:

Next step will probably be the bridge (string through!?), followed by wiring holes, pickup attachment screw holes and the tuner holes. Then, I’ll drill the electronics cavity cover attachment holes, neck strap holes and input hole. Shouldn’t forget the pickguard attachment screw holes too.