Thanks CraigS for the information about the fretboard-less necks,
I thought that they would have had to be like that originally, before
guitar evolution led us on to better things. That is why I was
asking the questions, (and to save the cost of the fretboard).

Through all your excellent answers I can now see why it is not
practical to do this, (I hadn't considered the problem of getting
the angle right either), given that we can get the parts such as
fingerboards, etc, fairly easily.

I appreciate the tips on working the mahogany Craig, ideas like these
are always helpful, (I must have a search for tips in the forum)
maybe there's another thread already for ideas like these, if there
isn't maybe all you builder types out there would like to start one?

I do find that if I go to MIMF or other luthier sites that they
seem to be geared to people who have a lot of good home machinery,
(most american sites, "Popular mechanics" is one that springs to mind)
seem to be the same way.

In the UK I think that we, (I speak more for myself here), don't
have the workshops that you lucky people in the US seem to have, we
are more kitchen table / small shed in the back garden/yard people,
I would love a good size workshop with table saw, bandsaw, lathe and
pillar drill etc, but I just haven't got the room (or the money) for
things like that, this is possibly why some of my questions sound a
bit silly, I would be trying to do things in a very old fashioned way.

Ah well, maybe one day I'll get a place where.........

I'll stop rambling.

Thanks all, for advising (and listening)

Cheers

Cattail 0~