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Gluing Ears Onto Headstock


Paul Vogt

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Friends,

One of my least favorite tasks in making guitars is gluing on the "ears" on each side of the

headstock. Messy little parts with glue all over them, held in place by over-sized clamps,

parts sliding all over the place, it just irritates me. I do a lot of these, and am trying to make it easier.

I'm to the point of wanting to make a custom clamping station to simplify this. Has anyone made, or

seen something like this?

Thanks for any tips,

Paul Vogt

PVX Guitars

Charlotte, NC

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I'm sure you could use a jig just like some of those guys use to glue binding on fretboards. Put a slight taper in the headstock part the wings glue to, then put two blocks of wood on a piece of ply with the same angle between them as put into the headstock, yet far enough apart to fit all pieces in how they are glued up. Then spread glue and push everything into the jig to "snug" it and clamp to hold with one clamp. Hopefully that makes sense...

That said, you can just use those squeeze clamps they sell at HD or Lowes. It's pretty easy to get everything lined up just pressing the parts to a flat surface while squeezing up the clamps.

Chris

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I'm sure you could use a jig just like some of those guys use to glue binding on fretboards. Put a slight taper in the headstock part the wings glue to, then put two blocks of wood on a piece of ply with the same angle between them as put into the headstock, yet far enough apart to fit all pieces in how they are glued up. Then spread glue and push everything into the jig to "snug" it and clamp to hold with one clamp. Hopefully that makes sense...

That said, you can just use those squeeze clamps they sell at HD or Lowes. It's pretty easy to get everything lined up just pressing the parts to a flat surface while squeezing up the clamps.

Chris

Chris,

I think I follow what you're suggesting. I use wedge blocks for all kinds of clamping, and a special fixture for "ears" would be easy to make. Thanks for the thought.

Paul

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what you need is a box jig, it's a very simple jig but works very effectively, and you can make 10 of them in a few hours. U shaped box, 1/2" deep with 4 screws going through the sides that have blocks on the end. Headstock lays flat in the boxears lay flat in the box, and you screw one side, giving you clamp pressure, and allowing you to screw the 4 screws on the other side to equalize pressure if you have angle to account for.

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First its not really a big operation, but if you need to clamp dozens or just dont like clamps due to the weight I would suggest the following.

Build a u shaped box using hardwood and add two bolts to one side and a sliding hardwood block as the pressure face of the clamp.

Or the same setup with wedges bu its hard to hold up a neck and tap in wedges.

Another suggestion is buy a better clamp like a Bessy 12" with a large flat face. This is not a job for standard bar clamps (sash clamp) with small round faces.

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I just plane them to the same thickness as the headstock, then use spring clamps to keep it level with the headstock piece, and in place... then clamp. Pretty simple to me?

Buy thicker neck blanks, thats even easier... :D

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I just plane them to the same thickness as the headstock, then use spring clamps to keep it level with the headstock piece, and in place... then clamp. Pretty simple to me?

Buy thicker neck blanks, thats even easier... :D

Thank you for all the suggestions. I think I'll make a U-Box clamp and post a photo of it.

Great support on this forum!

All the Best,

Paul Vogt

www.pvxguitars.com

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Well, at times, when someone wants to join two pieces, butt up, together, they drill and run in dowels between the pieces. It aids structural rigidity, and in this case, I would certainly think clamping everything up would be easier, cause now it can't slide all over the place. Here:

DowelGlue-in.jpg

That make sense?

Edited by Racer X
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Well, at times, when someone wants to join two pieces, butt up, together, they drill and run in dowels between the pieces. It aids structural rigidity, and in this case, I would certainly think clamping everything up would be easier, cause now it can't slide all over the place. Here:

DowelGlue-in.jpg

That make sense?

The big reason is when you cutt out a HS shape you have a dowel sticking out the side. Its not necessary at all to pin or dowel.

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Look at the first three pics here;

http://ryanguitars.com/theworkshop/Buildin...Ears%20Face.htm

also,

2001collings164.jpg

make it pneumatic and then your talking..Great pict.

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Look at the first three pics here;

http://ryanguitars.com/theworkshop/Buildin...Ears%20Face.htm

also,

2001collings164.jpg

make it pneumatic and then your talking..Great pict.

George,

Thanks for sending the link and the photo. The vertical jig is a great concept, exactly in line with what I was hoping to see. Very Nice.

In the link you provided, the author is suggesting CA glue for the ears, to avoid introducing moisture into the neck wood. What do you think of this? I can see wanting to use CA glue simply to eliminate the drying time. Once I get the ears on, I want to flip it and machine the back of the neck without delay.

Do you use wood glue or CA?

Thanks again,

Paul Vogt

PVXGuitars.com

Charlotte, NC

Body%201.jpg

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Look at the first three pics here;

http://ryanguitars.com/theworkshop/Buildin...Ears%20Face.htm

also,

2001collings164.jpg

Now that is a Jig! I like that...

George,

Thanks for sending the link and the photo. The vertical jig is a great concept, exactly in line with what I was hoping to see. Very Nice.

In the link you provided, the author is suggesting CA glue for the ears, to avoid introducing moisture into the neck wood. What do you think of this? I can see wanting to use CA glue simply to eliminate the drying time. Once I get the ears on, I want to flip it and machine the back of the neck without delay.

Do you use wood glue or CA?

Thanks again,

Paul Vogt

PVXGuitars.com

Charlotte, NC

CA for the ears? now that is an interesting idea. I have never tried it mind you so I am thinking out loud on this one.

The drawbacks might be strength and glue seepage. If CA discolors the wood around it that would be undesirable. Also if it resists stain or oil.

Has anyone ever used CA to make a joint and then tested it? I know titebond is stronger than the wood and in most cases the wood breaks somewhere other than the joint. I might have to see what a hammer does to a CA joint.

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I would never trust CA for structural glue ups, use epoxy instead. My opinion is CA breaks down over time if used in this Fashion. My experience is with gluing broken household items together not wood. But why chance it. Yes i use cCA on inlay and repairs without issues. But these are small spots not glue lines.

The jig is nice and the poster is using wood glue. However not sure how it works with nothing between the neck and the board (like wax paper) to keep the neck from being glued to the Jig?

A more expensive and probably longer lasting solution is an aluminum plate. IMO

The clamps can be found using Destaco as the manufaturer.

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In the link you provided, the author is suggesting CA glue for the ears, to avoid introducing moisture into the neck wood. What do you think of this? I can see wanting to use CA glue simply to eliminate the drying time. Once I get the ears on, I want to flip it and machine the back of the neck without delay.

In all honesty I had never considered using CA in a wood to wood joint like that before reading that writeup. That being said, if Kevin Ryan says its good I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to follow suit. As with any joint I imagine that the precision of the surfaces is key to having a strong, invisible glue line. Keep in mind, Ryan uses a veneer on both the front and back of the headstock.

I would also hesitate to consider the typical "ear joint" a truly structural one, especially when veneering both sides. I cant really imagine a significant stress on the joint unless you have a tuner hole right through the glue line. Look at most headstock ears out there. After all the machining is completed there usually isn't a ton of material even left. No more structural than a heel cap IMO. That's assuming a "typical" headstock size I suppose. Certainly not the rule though, I'm sure you could devise a scenario which would ask a lot of said joint if you tried. Like anything else its definitely an operation worthy of care and precision.

Just my opinion....

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In the link you provided, the author is suggesting CA glue for the ears, to avoid introducing moisture into the neck wood. What do you think of this? I can see wanting to use CA glue simply to eliminate the drying time. Once I get the ears on, I want to flip it and machine the back of the neck without delay.

In all honesty I had never considered using CA in a wood to wood joint like that before reading that writeup. That being said, if Kevin Ryan says its good I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to follow suit. As with any joint I imagine that the precision of the surfaces is key to having a strong, invisible glue line. Keep in mind, Ryan uses a veneer on both the front and back of the headstock.

I would also hesitate to consider the typical "ear joint" a truly structural one, especially when veneering both sides. I cant really imagine a significant stress on the joint unless you have a tuner hole right through the glue line. Look at most headstock ears out there. After all the machining is completed there usually isn't a ton of material even left. No more structural than a heel cap IMO. That's assuming a "typical" headstock size I suppose. Certainly not the rule though, I'm sure you could devise a scenario which would ask a lot of said joint if you tried. Like anything else its definitely an operation worthy of care and precision.

Just my opinion....

Structural if you add tuners onto an ear or on the glue line.

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