Now we turn our attention back to the body. cover your workbench with a double-folded towel or other soft surface. This serves a twofold purpose of protecting the front and back from scratched and keeping the body still while you sand. Here I'm using a small random orbit sander. This could all be done with sandpaper wrapped around a sanding block, but it takes longer. Start with 120 grit and sand with that until all visible marks are gone from the surface. If you leave any marks, it will take a very long time to eliminate them with the higher grits. After 120, switch to hand sanding if you started out on the power sander.
This sanding step should remove all the superglue squeeze-out around the soundhole, and any marks and glue squeeze-out anywhere on the body.
I use the sander also on the ribs. This takes a little longer because of the marks caused by the bending process. Here you see those marks on the upper bout (left). I have already sanded them out on the lower bout (right).
This is a felt sanding block bought from a woodworking store. You can also get a felt chalkboard eraser from a school-supply store for one-fifth the price. Also sand the whole neck and peghead assembly with the sanding block. You can walk the grits up from 120 to 150, 180, and 220 as you like. It makes no sense to go higher than 220.
Because the method of gluing in the headblock isn't precise, the curvature here may not match that of the neck. You see the gap here.
I used a piece of 100-grit self-stick sandpaper stuck to the body here and moved the neck back and forth in very small strokes.
I scribbled all around the inside of the neck joint. Use chalk instead of ink as I did here. With ink, I had to stay a little away from the edge to prevent the ink from bleeding up the side of the neck, ruining the whole thing! When the markings are worn away all around the edge of the surface, you are done.
This joint looks a lot better.
Mark the edges of the neck joint with tape; this will help you locate the right place during the tricky and quick operation of attaching the neck, and prevent glue squeeze-out from adhering to the rib. Note how the seam is not right in the center; this is because the body glue-up was a little off due to all the pressure needed to hold the sides in, and the simple jig that only held the top and bottom ends. This is not noticeable after the fact. To correctly locate the neck, make sure the point at the end of the fretboard points at the exact center of the soundhole. This can be done by eye.
In the instructions, the neck is clamped to the body with long elastic wrapped around and around the neck and body. I didn't have the long elastic, or time to order it, so I went down to my local [office supply superstore] and got a package of heavy-duty bands, which come in a variety of sizes in one package.
In addition to gluing the butt of the neck, I wanted to glue down the end of the fretboard, which can cause a buzz if it isn't secured. This is fussiness on my part, and probably not necessary. However, clamping the end of the fretboard down is a good way to make sure the neck stays in place as you stretch rubber around it. This would make it difficult to stretch the rubber tape around, however. Since I'm using rubber bands instead, this isn't a problem.
The instructions call for wrapping the long elastic gently but firmly at first, then getting tighter with each turn. I chose three bands of different sizes, from one that held firmly but not too tight for adjusting the neck position after putting it on, to one that I could just barely stretch. I hung them on the clamp before clamping; otherwise I couldn't have gotten them on at all.
Here's test-clamping before getting started. It's smart to practice the whole clamping and rubber-banding without glue to make sure you have it down when you glue it.
I have a hard time believing in end-grain butt joints. Any other type of joint, however, would make this kit much more complex and take it out of the beginner category. I decided to use a different glue just to be safe. It's a urethane glue called Gorilla Glue, and it's activated by water. Here I have traced around the edge of the fingerboard overhang to guide neck placement and dampening. Dampen just the body where the neck will contact it, using an artist brush or (as here) a cut-off piece of a sponge brush. A little extra water outside the line won't hurt anything, though.
Use the water only if you're using a water-activated glue.
Spread glue (either Gorilla glue or some other) on the end of the neck and the underside of the fretboard overhang. And clamp it up. You practiced, right?
The gorilla glue foams up a little when it reacts with the water, so the clamping must be strong if you're using this kind of glue. It should be strong anyway. Here you can see some of the squeeze-out foaming up.
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Copyright 2005 Stephen Miklos
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