Quick Question About Headstocks

[leeranya]

can regular gluing of headstock to the neck (in a 10-13 degrees angle) hold the tension of the strings?

if it matters, I'm using DAP Weldwood Carpenter's Wood Glue

and by regular gluing I mean something like this:

______

_____/ + |=====

(neck) (headstock)

so the neck is cut in an angle and the headstock's edge is straight 90 degrees.

[unclej]

can regular gluing of headstock to the neck (in a 10-13 degrees angle) hold the tension of the strings?

if it matters, I'm using DAP Weldwood Carpenter's Wood Glue

and by regular gluing I mean something like this:

______

_____/ + |=====

(neck) (headstock)

so the neck is cut in an angle and the headstock's edge is straight 90 degrees.

i take it that you're going for an angled headstock and my first thought is that it's going to need some dowells or something similar. typically glued on head stocks are attachec with a scarf joing that's a much greater angle than that. that angle doesn't give you a great deal of glueing surface and is right where the greatest stress from string tension is going to be the greatest.

someone should come along in a minute and add to this or tell me i'm crazy.

good luck with it.

[al heeley]

That looks scary. Maybe a long angled scarf joint would have more chance of surviving?

[fryovanni]

You will most likely have a nasty end grain to end grain joint doing that. A more typical scarf joint would be better. I would worry about a joint made the way you are showing it.

Peace,Rich

[doug]

+1 for the scarf joint.

Woodworking 101: Endgrain to endgrain joints should be avoided.

-Doug

[Nitefly SA]

I agree with the scarf joint idea, but I am curious myself, wouldn't it still be end grain to end grain? Is it just the extra gluing surface that makes it more secure?

[doug]

The scarf is not dead flat on end grain. Plus the headstock is the side of the board, and no end grain at all. This joint works very well and has stood the test of time on countless guitars...

-Doug

[Prostheta]

Surface glueing area on a scarf joint is so much larger than a straight 90­° fit....

[leeranya]

I could tear the connection apart with my bare hands

now I gotta make a new headstock with a longer side towards the neck so I can make a scarf joint

[Prostheta]

I hope you didn't waste a project or made scrap because of the join. Keep us posted on how your scarf joint work goes! Always good to watch progress.

[Setch]

If you're limited for length you could try a v-joint, but it's a pretty challenging peice of woodworking for a beginner.

[Prostheta]

Interesting Setch...how would that work exactly?

[Setch]

V joints are mostly mechanical joints, so can get away with less gluing length than scarf joints. Try a google search for v jointed headstock and you'll see the kind of thing I mean.

[oz tradie]

Here's an example of a V-joint.

[doug]

Finger joints have been used for a long time too, but the V method has artistic possibilities.

-Doug

[Prostheta]

Indeed. A very interesting possibility, and it seems easier than cutting an acute angle into wood perpendicular to a narrow face. Well, at least for me it is. I presume that given some good thought into the mechanical stability of any joints in that area, the possibilities are endless!

[leeranya]

what about using screws? a big no-no?

[Prostheta]

It's not a no-no, but they're not necessary. That and you don't want power tools like routers anywhere near pins and screws!