Fretboard Gluing Question

[Eric Knapp]

"The greatest teacher, failure is."
- Yoda

I'm learning a lot then! I tightened the truss rod on my first neck and the fretboard popped right off. I guess I don't know my own strength or the power of a good truss rod. I need to clean up the glue and try again. I used liquid hide glue on the first attempt, what should I use this time? The fretboard is ebony and the neck is walnut.

Thanks,

-Eric

[Bob Gramann]

I warm the fingerboard and neck with a heat gun and then use Hot Hide Glue. Titebond or epoxy might be easier to use, but I prefer the HHG.

[Jim McConkey]

If you used the bottled liquid hide glue, check the date code. That stuff degrades quickly and has a notoriously short useful life. Don't even think about it if it is more than a year old. I used a fresh bottle once years and never had a problem, but I have long since switched to hot hide glue. As Bob said, a lot of people also use epoxy for fretboards. Much easier to put together, but much more difficult to repair or take apart later.

[Barry Daniels]

I use epoxy so that there is no water present to warp the neck. I have discovered that an epoxy fretboard can be removed very cleanly with proper application of heat.

The first guitar I ever made also had the fretboard pop off due to using liquid hide glue. I never made that mistake again.

[Ryan Mazzocco]

I just don't even have liquid hide glue in my shop. I think it's pretty good for a lot of furniture or other lower stress wood working applications. But it seems on guitars, there are more ways for it to fail than for it to succeed.
I've use titebond for fretboards so far, but I'm getting more comfortable with HHG and would like to make the switch. I've also been using a lot of fish glue on repairs lately and I really like it, so that may be the best in-between for me, unless someone can convince me that it would be a bad idea.

[Alan Carruth]

I've always used water based glues, usually Titebond, for putting on fingerboards, and I've had no problems. The 'trick' is to use a heavy caul to help hold things in place, and leave the clamps on at least over night, to allow the moisture to get out before you remove them.

[Eric Knapp]

Thanks, everyone, this is all very helpful. First thing I'm going to do is to stop using liquid hide glue for guitars. I have used it for furniture with great success but I am seeing the issues now. The choices I have are HHG, Titebond, or epoxy. I'm not set up for HHG yet but I think that will come. I think I'll use epoxy, it's my learning guitar and I am not concerned with future repair issues. Epoxy is probably stronger and that is appealing for this one.

-Eric

[Mark McLean]

Yep - switch glues. It is Titebond original for me, but many folks have success with epoxy and I have never tried it, so I can't argue with that choice. I just like to use something that I can later undo because, you know what, I stuff up some times. Another important question is how you are clamping it, and how you make sure that it doesn't move around on you before it dries. I like 2 or 3 locating pins that go through some fret slots (assuming that you haven't fretted it yet - I know some folks do that differently too?). A good caul (that matches the radius of the board if you have radiused already - because I believe some folks do that first too) and lots of clamps. Or my favourite clamping method, which is to wrap the whole thing using a stretched bicycle inner tube - like strapping a sprained ankle really tight (glue squeeze-out doesn't stick to the rubber). No caul or clamps needed if you use the inner tube method.

[Tim Allen]

Like Barry, I use epoxy, and I've also found it's easy to remove parts glued with epoxy using heat. Removal doesn't require as much heat as Titebond or hide glue does.

I first learned this when I had to re-glue a fretboard that moved a little under the clamps. Now I always use 3 locating pins in precisely drilled holes. Re-gluing a fretboard into a finished neck requires extra care, because--whatever glue you use--if it slips and you have to unglue the board that will be difficult to do without damaging the finish. If it were me I'd be tempted to pull a couple of frets and use pins, in spite of the extra work that entails.