Truss rod installation

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Fisherman
Blackwood
Posts: 197
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:10 pm
Location: Brisbane

Truss rod installation

Post by Fisherman » Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:24 pm

Hi guys

Im hoping to get some advice about truss rod installation before I install on on my current build. Is everyone glueing the bottom of the truss rod into the slot? If so, are you using epoxy? Would silicone be a good alternative option or is there a reason it needs to be a stronger bond (im not a fan of epoxy)?

Finally, do you favour a shim above the truss rod or is this unnecessary?

Cheers, Peter

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kiwigeo
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Re: Truss rod installation

Post by kiwigeo » Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:42 pm

If your rod is a double acting rod then the "bottom" of the rod will be the actual adjusting rod which must be free to rotate so definitely no glue. I don't use any glue at all to hold my rods in place. Sometimes I fit a fillet of wood on top of the rod but Ive found it means making the slot a extra few mm deep which means less meat on the back of the neck. When Ive gone down this route Ive used epoxy to glue the fillet to the static bar that makes up the upper part of the rod....only epoxy will glue metal to wood. On more recent builds Ive just used a bit of Titebond on the edges of the fillet to hold it in place or Ive left out the filler all together. Using a filler will reduce the risk of glue getting into the rod when you fix the fretboard on but Ive found the risk of this happening can be managed by not running glue right up to the slot and not using too much glue.
Fisherman wrote:
Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:24 pm
Hi guys

Im hoping to get some advice about truss rod installation before I install on on my current build. Is everyone glueing the bottom of the truss rod into the slot? If so, are you using epoxy? Would silicone be a good alternative option or is there a reason it needs to be a stronger bond (im not a fan of epoxy)?

Finally, do you favour a shim above the truss rod or is this unnecessary?

Cheers, Peter
Martin

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Mark McLean
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Re: Truss rod installation

Post by Mark McLean » Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:35 pm

I'm with what Martin said. Don't glue it, just lay it in the slot and glue the fingerboard over the top - trying to keep that glue away from the truss-rod. I actually use a narrow strip of masking tape along the length of the slot to keep the glue from running into the slot, and no wood filet. As Martin pointed out, you don't want the slot getting too deep - like in this recent thread on the OLF describing the heartsink when the truss rod emerges through the back of the neck because you have carved down to the channel:
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/view ... dc9bacbe37

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kiwigeo
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Re: Truss rod installation

Post by kiwigeo » Wed Jul 25, 2018 8:09 am

Mark McLean wrote:
Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:35 pm
As Martin pointed out, you don't want the slot getting too deep - like in this recent thread on the OLF describing the heartsink when the truss rod emerges through the back of the neck because you have carved down to the channel:
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/view ... dc9bacbe37
Forgot to mention exactly this happening on a current build :?
Martin

Fisherman
Blackwood
Posts: 197
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:10 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Truss rod installation

Post by Fisherman » Wed Jul 25, 2018 8:30 am

Thanks Martin and Mark! im all for simplifying tasks so if no glue or wood fillet is needed, then that is music to my ears.

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