tails, now heads: completely changing headstock shape of used neck
Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2022 4:27 am
As I have mentioned in my thread about the tailpiece, the body and neck of the solid-bodied Kay "Vanguard II" that I am working on were purchased from two different sellers. The neck is definitely a Kay of the same era, and originally of the same profile as the stock Vanguard II neck/headstock, but at some point in its life, a previous owner decided to make it look like some kind of '80s hair-metal guitar, destroying the cool sculpted profile.
What it looked like, stock:
I bought this neck for a few reasons: it would fit the body, it was cheap, it was straight and otherwise in great shape, and it had already been bastardized, so I would feel no guilt in modifying it to suit my purposes. I'm building this up as a tenor guitar, so the stock 6 tuners were already problematic. I worked out how to more-or-less replicate the profile of the stock pegboard, albeit in reverse, and with 4 tuners. When cutting the headstock as shown below I will have just enough wood to flip around and attach to the other side, after which I will plug the existing holes with dowels, drill new holes, plane the pieces together and fair them to each other, then cut the beveled edge, and finally finish it off as best as I can (which is usually not too bad).
(You may notice that the tuners will now face down, which strikes me as more sensible anyway, since when playing, one's left hand is already facing upward, so access to the tuners will be easier.)
Now, I am no fine luthier, but I'm reasonably capable with basic woodworking. I have shop tools such as a bandsaw, table saw, drill press, router, etc. I will make an ad-hoc cradle for the headstock, to ensure it's kept parallel to the table of my bandsaw, and carefully cut it along the line. Here comes my question:
I'm concerned about the joint line between the two pieces not being 100% stable. They're not really critical for structural integrity (the tuners are still going to be mounted on the original portion of the headstock), but I don't want a crack developing. My inclination would be to use Gorilla Wood Glue, but as for how to attach it, I could do one of two things: I could drill through the newly grafted piece into the existing section, and countersink the opening, attaching it to the pegboard with maybe 3 long screws (being careful to avoid fouling the tuners), then plug the openings with dowels (like laying new teak decking on a boat). Or I could forego the screws entirely, and just use dowels. My guess is that there's a possibility that changes in temperature/humidity might cause the screws to "work", opening-up the joint enough to show the seam, but that dowels would expand/contract the same as the surrounding wood, which should be not at all.
Is there a better way to join these two pieces?
Or am I overthinking this, and Gorilla Wood Glue (or another kind of glue) will hold it without any risk of separation?
What it looked like, stock:
I bought this neck for a few reasons: it would fit the body, it was cheap, it was straight and otherwise in great shape, and it had already been bastardized, so I would feel no guilt in modifying it to suit my purposes. I'm building this up as a tenor guitar, so the stock 6 tuners were already problematic. I worked out how to more-or-less replicate the profile of the stock pegboard, albeit in reverse, and with 4 tuners. When cutting the headstock as shown below I will have just enough wood to flip around and attach to the other side, after which I will plug the existing holes with dowels, drill new holes, plane the pieces together and fair them to each other, then cut the beveled edge, and finally finish it off as best as I can (which is usually not too bad).
(You may notice that the tuners will now face down, which strikes me as more sensible anyway, since when playing, one's left hand is already facing upward, so access to the tuners will be easier.)
Now, I am no fine luthier, but I'm reasonably capable with basic woodworking. I have shop tools such as a bandsaw, table saw, drill press, router, etc. I will make an ad-hoc cradle for the headstock, to ensure it's kept parallel to the table of my bandsaw, and carefully cut it along the line. Here comes my question:
I'm concerned about the joint line between the two pieces not being 100% stable. They're not really critical for structural integrity (the tuners are still going to be mounted on the original portion of the headstock), but I don't want a crack developing. My inclination would be to use Gorilla Wood Glue, but as for how to attach it, I could do one of two things: I could drill through the newly grafted piece into the existing section, and countersink the opening, attaching it to the pegboard with maybe 3 long screws (being careful to avoid fouling the tuners), then plug the openings with dowels (like laying new teak decking on a boat). Or I could forego the screws entirely, and just use dowels. My guess is that there's a possibility that changes in temperature/humidity might cause the screws to "work", opening-up the joint enough to show the seam, but that dowels would expand/contract the same as the surrounding wood, which should be not at all.
Is there a better way to join these two pieces?
Or am I overthinking this, and Gorilla Wood Glue (or another kind of glue) will hold it without any risk of separation?
