Fretboard gluing

[Craig]

G'day Martin,

Epoxy will start to soften at around 160 degrees , so it can be done.There are however , some epoxies that will require a higher temperature. Check the specs on the pack first.

I only put a small amount of white glue down the centre of the neck extension , so that it can easily release from the guitar body


Cheers, Craig

[matthew]

One trick to get grab is to shoot in two staples with the staple gun held away from the face of the neck by about 1/16". Then cut off the crown of the staples, and you're left with a couple of short sharp points.

Ok if the neck will NEVER come off. But pity the poor repairman who has to plane the neck flat again to replace the FB. He'll be up for a sharpening chore, and send a zillion curses to the person who shot those staples ...

I built a tapered square box that fits around the neck neatly, open at the top. tack on a temporary nut with weak hide glue. Line box with paper, slop on glue, insert fingerboard till it reaches your temporary nut and clamp. Works for me on a double bass, should be the same on a geetar.

[Rick Turner]

You're making it too hard! With the staples, you can either pull the little bits out with flush ground end nippers or drive them below the surface of the wood with a small nail set. Besides which you should never need to take a plane to that surface if you're taking the fingerboard off and replacing it or regluing it. Any work can be done with sandpaper. I've probably taken off and reglued 100 or more fingerboards in my day, and I never touched a neck with a plane.

[matthew]

If you know the little bits are there, fine. But if you don't ...

I've damaged a few nice tools on unnecessary "hidden" ironwork. If we could afford to take xrays of every repair job it'd be way easier to avoid the surprises.

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Oh and the neck "box" method is actually very easy

[Rick Turner]

If you take the fingerboard off, you can see the little bits of staple. This is not brain surgery on someone shot in a war!

OK, an alternative is to use pins through fret slots. You can pull the pins before fretting unless you're gluing on a fretted 'board...in which case you can do what all the guitar factories do...pin the 'board on with 1/8" or so plastic dowel pins. The underside of the 'board and the top face of the neck have shallow holes for short dowel pins. Perfect registration, no slippage, really easy. You can make a drill jig for this out of Perspex/Plexiglas and hardened steel drill bushings.

[Hesh1956]

I think that I glue on fret boards pretty much the same way as Rick described. I do use two small brads though and nip them just proud of the neck and then press the fret board onto the brads. This keeps it from sliding around when I glue it with West Systems epoxy.

Here is a picture of one I did about a month ago. Note the hard maple, 16" radiused fret board gluing caul, makes it all clamp together really well. Also - if you are not confident about how much/little squeeze out you will get put some waxed paper between the caul and the fret board. Guitars don't play well with this caul on them.....