Scarf Joint

[necroreaper]

Hi all,

I am about to start building my first guitar and was just wondering what is the best way to cut a scarf joint? Should I attempt it with a band saw or a hand saw?

Thanks

[Supernova9]

Hi all,

I am about to start building my first guitar and was just wondering what is the best way to cut a scarf joint? Should I attempt it with a band saw or a hand saw?

Thanks

First step would be to use the SEARCH feature. There are countless threads on this board about the best way to cut a scarf joint.

[Jon]

I made a jig to angle my router at a 14 degree angle so I cut the neck and headstock at 14 degrees. Then glue together. I suggest doing a search on it to find better information though.

[oz tradie]

thread link

This thread above had some interesting ways of scarf jointing and ending up with a great result.

Also a discussion about what Jon mentioned about a scarf joint angled jig.

Read yer' heart out,

Stu

[necroreaper]

Sorry to be a pain, but that thread link doesn't work. I just get a blank page.

[oz tradie]

Link is operational

[necroreaper]

Thanks a lot Stu,there's a lot of useful info there!

[scottyd]

You can use just about anything. I cut my last one with a circular saw, not for the faint of heart though.....Also you need have some real good experience using the saw.

[Jon]

After I got the scarf joint completed, I cut down the sides to show the tight joint. I really like using the router method, but it took a bit of trial and error to get the jig just right. After the cuts are right, you have to learn how to even out the clamps to get the correct pressure distribution, or else you'll have a poor joint.

[sexybeast]

Here's how I did it.

[necroreaper]

Thanks for the advice guys! I decided to take the plunge this morning and cut it with a hand saw. It didn't come out too badly actually. I had a bit of trouble getting the joint perfectly straight but it's all glued up now. Guess I'll find out in the morning if it's worked!

[Mattia]

When I get my Big Bad Bandsaw up and running, I may use that. But to date, a handsaw (Japanese. Everyone's using japanese saws, right? Right.) and a handplane (block and/or #4) are the perfect tools for the job. If nothing else, the scarf joint will teach you good tool sharpening and use. Handy skills...

[guitar2005]

I did my first scarf joint two weeks ago and the end result is very good.

I looked at a number of different ways to cut the joint including table saw, band saw, hand saw, hand plane, router jigs (describd in this forum). I ended up using my own method - The MiterScarf Cutter™

Here is a pic of the jig on my miter saw:

http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL912/43163...3/202156778.jpg

The quality of the cut depends on the quality of your blade. I just have a 40T blade. Also, take it slow and don't leave the blade in the cut for too long or the wood will burn. I'll remove 1/2" at a time. For cleaning up the freshly cut joint, I used 220 grit snadpaper on a flat block of MDF.

Here is a pic of the glued up joint (I used Setch's glueup method):

http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL912/43163...3/202154714.jpg