leeranya Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 ok, I just glued the headstock in a scarfjoint... the problem is that the cut was not made perfectly and now I have a huge ugly gap between them... I tried filling it with maple dust and little particles (from sanding) and carpenter's wood glue mixed then sanding it but it looks different than the rest of the maple, because the glue dries a bit yellow... any suggestions? pics: the headstock with mahogany veneer on it one gap, relatively small (comparing to the other one, at least ) the big gap... not for the weak-hearted please help me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 (edited) That is a Huge gap!!!....in fact "gap" somehow doesn't feel like the right word to describe it. I really don't think that any amount of glue, wood dust or filler will hide that up because it is going right across the grain. Also, it is not just a cosmetic problem but it is likely to make a weak part of the neck much worse. I feel for ya, I really do....but as difficult as it might be, you might just have to put it out of its misery....& I think it's plain to see that it is suffering....just look at it .... Or...maybe you could paint it a solid colour?....dunno, see what others say. Edited November 6, 2006 by Maiden69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 (edited) yikes you really want to start that again.... or at least separate it, plane it flat and reglue or something that looks like it would be a seriously weak joint, in a very crucial place. Edited November 6, 2006 by Maiden69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibnaz5150 Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Not an expert here by any means but wow that does'nt look good! I'd be skeptikal even painting it solid.Scarf joints are difficult to begin with. Generally the joint needs to be tight and most important strong! Many will plane both surfaces to ensure a tight fit...then comes another tricky part as to clamping it without the two surfaces slipping. Not to bash you here but always check your joints for fit prior to gluing them up. Hand planes are super for this work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 I personally see one thing to do.Scrap that joint and do-over. Scarf joints need to be made very well. Not for cosmetic reasons, but for structural reasons. The whole reason you are making a scarf joint is to try to get close to a full strength joint. If it is exicuted well you will get pretty close to full strength, if it is done poorly it will fail. I bet you would be less than happy if you were showing your friends how well it plays, and then the headstock pops. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaycee Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 I have to agree with the others unfortunatly. Make another joint. Theres a tutorial a few actually but one that sticks out in my mind is to make a "wedge " shape mitre type box with the sides being 13 degrees the neck sits inbetween the sides and router off the excess wood on the neck and headstock. You then have a perfect joint and glue it up using Setch's simple but effective way found here http://www.setchellguitars.co.uk/ant/blog/?p=121 hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeranya Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 let me just clarify though, that the gap does not go inside deep, only half a centimeter (0.2 inches). The rest is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyd Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Yeah but being that you have smaller gap on one side and the bigger gap in the other tells me that the whole mating surface of the scarf is bad. Dont risk taking it any further from where you are now, you can cut the joint apart and try again with the two pieces flatter. No amount of sawdust is gonna fix that, and it would be alot easier to fix now then when your fingerboard is attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 How exactly did you manage to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 (edited) How exactly did you manage to do that? Seriously though - Redo the joint. Edited November 7, 2006 by guitar2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 let me just clarify though, that the gap does not go inside deep, only half a centimeter (0.2 inches). The rest is ok. I would still re-do the joint. I would never be happy with that joint. If you can live with that joint. Fill it with whatever you can squeeze in there, and hide your mistake as best you can. Go about your building and hope it falls apart when nobody is looking . I kinda wonder why you shape the headstock, shape the back of the neck and such before you glue up your scarf? Doesn't that make it hard to get a well clamped joint? I have always scarfed unshaped blanks. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 (edited) One of the bigger mistakes is to carve the back of the neck before any jointing, gluing and clamping. If the piece was left square you would have had an easier time cutting, prepping, gluing and clamping your scarf joint. One of the very last things I do on a neck, even after installing frets, is to carve the rounded back. You should have known better than to go ahead and stick it all together. Didn't that gap show up in a test fit? shame on you, now go do it right. Edited November 6, 2006 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Brian Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 I'd redo the neck. It'll be one of those things you regret if you continue and finish the guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 (edited) ok, I just glued the headstock in a scarfjoint... the problem is that the cut was not made perfectly and now I have a huge ugly gap between them... I tried filling it with maple dust and little particles (from sanding) and carpenter's wood glue mixed then sanding it but it looks different than the rest of the maple, because the glue dries a bit yellow... any suggestions? pics: the headstock with mahogany veneer on it one gap, relatively small (comparing to the other one, at least ) the big gap... not for the weak-hearted please help me +5 or more on the start over. REDO THE JOINT and dont roll it so tight LOL:)))) One more note remove the stems as they cause the paper tear. LMAO!!!!!!!! mk Edited November 6, 2006 by MiKro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRossitter Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 Don't take it all to hard...I think that everyone one here is just poking fun at you. We all make mistakes in the shop. I would certainly heed some of the advice here though. Do your cutting and shaping after the joining. The main reason being, because its a whole lot easier to clamp something at a 90° angle than a rounded/profiled neck. Have you considered making a clamping jig? Good luck with it. BTW I like the headstock design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 Don't take it all to hard...I think that everyone one here is just poking fun at you. We all make mistakes in the shop. I would certainly heed some of the advice here though. Do your cutting and shaping after the joining. The main reason being, because its a whole lot easier to clamp something at a 90° angle than a rounded/profiled neck. Have you considered making a clamping jig? Good luck with it. BTW I like the headstock design. I agree with John, we all make mistakes so heed the advice given by those you have asked and redo the joint. No PUN Intended this time. You will thank yourself later for doing it right. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 same goes for me, even though what I said was taken with humour I am actually interested in which way you cut your scarf as to shed some light on how it ended up like that - I’ve made worse mistakes with wood in my time. Apologies for my poor choice of words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord-of-the-strings Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 +5 or more on the start over. REDO THE JOINT and dont roll it so tight LOL:)))) One more note remove the stems as they cause the paper tear. LMAO!!!!!!!! mk I mean... uh... shame on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 +5 or more on the start over. REDO THE JOINT and dont roll it so tight LOL:)))) One more note remove the stems as they cause the paper tear. LMAO!!!!!!!! mk I mean... uh... shame on you. I know I'm BAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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