re-sizing a fretboard&neck then re-attaching the fret board

[Danny]

Hello forum! I’ve been a long time reader of this forum and have been reading everything on the internet possible concerning guitar building and kits and I really want to build a kit. However, I have decided to do some work on an old cheapo classical guitar I already have in order to make it more suitable to my taste and learn a few skills before I plunge into a kit. Which means I hate the big thick and wide neck on this guitar and no one’s ever played it much since its been in the family (since the 70’s or 80’s) and now the tuners have gone bad so I’ve decided to turn it into my first luthiery project and make it into more of a nylon string hybrid type guitar with a 1.75 neck – and maybe a 20mm thick neck+fret board at the 1st fret (haven’t decided for sure yet on thickness but I know I’ll want to take at least 2mm off the neck thickness wise). I’m wondering if anyone out there might entertain a few questions from a newbie…

So far I have removed fret board, then the frets and then trimmed it to size using a jack plane, block plane and sandpaper/shooting board (looks great so far – nice taper, straight and measures 1.744 at the nut end – don’t ask me where the other 0.006 went ‘cause I don’t know!) – next I’ll likely add markers. The problem: while removing the fret board (fb) I did manage to tear out some of the plywood top that was under the fb. That material is of course still stuck to the underside of the now removed fb. When I re-glue the fb that material will fit nicely back into where it once was. But I realize that doesn’t take into account the depth of the new glue. My question is: should I scrape that old glue/sound board wood off the fret board before re-attaching it? – and hope that the new glue will fill in the gap that will be between the fb and the top or just glue it in as-is and hope that there is not a hump? BTW this fb seems to have been originally glued on over the finish – I’m not 100% sure if that is true but it sure appears to be so.

And I have a second question: I really don’t want to remove the dove tailed neck – I feel like that is just beyond my skill level. Which means I’ll need to shape the neck while it’s on the guitar. I know, you are all cringing but I think it may be possible but my planes will not easily work (at least not completely) due to the body being the way. I’m thinking I may need to invest in a draw knife which seems like it may work. Or perhaps use my block plane or Stanley scraper plane then use chisels and sand paper to get the hard to reach areas. Any advise would be appreciated!

BTW – appearance is not my goal here – I’m just wanting to learn a few skills and build a playable beater guitar.

Thanks,
Danny

[tippie53]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... itars+dove
here is a link to the dovetail neck setting procedure. If you have the board off, the hard part is done. It would make your project a bit more educational post pics and we will be happy to critque

[rhagen]

If it a classical guitar it probably isn't a dovetail neck...

[tippie53]

good point. some classicals do use a dovetail but some use a spanish foot. post a few pics we can help identify it for you

[Danny]

I have attempted to attach a photo of the tear out in the top. You can see that material on the bottom side of the fret board. I would like to solicit advice on how to handle this situation - should I shave it off the fretboard or re-attach as is?

As far as the heel goes - do you need to see a photo of the outside of the heel where it is attached to the body? Or do you need to see the part that is now exposed that was previously under the fret board? Let me know and I'll get a photo of what you all need to see. It looks like a dovetail but I'll have to read up on the difference between a spanish foot and a dovetail.

gtar fb sb photo.docx

[Ben-Had]

Looks like a dovetail to me.

[Danny]

Guys I appreciate the replies concerning the neck joint style but I am pretty determined to do the shaping with that neck attached to the body.

However, I am really hoping to solicit opinions on what to do about the soundboard material and glue that is left on the fret board. I realize I made a knuckle-head mistake and now I'm trying to figure out what to do. Do I scrape it off or leave it on and just glue it back in place? Please see the photo. Please let me know if you cannot open that file to view the photo - I notice that most you are able to embed a photo in your message but my photo size was too large so I attached it the best way I could - it is on a Word document. Seen in my previous post. If you all can't view it I'll try to figure out how to resize it.

Thanks,
Danny

[darren]

If it were me I'd scrape the glue off but leave the top piece on the FB. As long as it fits together and flush with the top again.

[Danny]

That's what I was leaning to do. Thanks Darren. However, I am worried that with the addition of glue that it might not fit back together correctly. I wonder if I should just scrape some of it away to allow for the height of the glue?

Danny

[darren]

You're adding glue to the entire fingerboard, not just where the top tore up. I'd think you'd be ok. Make a clamping caul to go over the upper transverse brace so you can apply even pressure the whole length of the FB.