Attaching Neck Onto Martin Guitar Using Hide Glue

After about a week of fiddling with the fit of the neck, I'm ready to glue it up.  I know, can you believe it?  The main issue was the fit of the fingerboard against the body - I wanted it tight at the 'corner' where the neck, fingerboard, and body meet.  I was also trying to get the best fit for the neck heel against the body.

There was old glue, sanding marks and divots where the neck heel met up against the body.  So I sanded it with 320 up to 800 grit paper and then polished it out.  No one will see much of the joint except the seam where the heel and body meet.  That should look nice and clean when the neck's attached.

Then the usual process for using hide glue.  I like to heat up the surfaces that will be glued.  Not hot, but warm-ish.  That helps the glue stay liquid a bit longer before it starts to gel.

Then we brush on the glue.  I put glue on the underside of the fingerboard, extension, the top where the extension lies, and the sides of the dovetail.

Then put the neck in place and clamp it up.  You can just see the hardwood-and-cork caul on the bottom of the guitar, along with a caul on the fingerboard.  There's also a small caul inside the guitar under the fingerboard extension.

One bar clamp for the dovetail, and two for the fingerboard extension.

It actually took me two attempts to get it perfect.  This is number one - and after it dried I wasn't happy with the heel-to-body fit.  So, I took it apart and reglued it and it's much better.

It came apart pretty easily.  The fingerboard extension came up with some heat.  I could wiggle the joint a little after that, and I though I might be able to just pop it off.

But the glue held, and I had to drill through the board and steam the dovetail.  Now I have a hole to fill (again), but I found out how strong the hide glue is.  Super strong.



The Complete Martin Guitar Restoration Saga
Restoration begins
Repairing heel break
DIY chisel for bridge plate removal
DIY bridge plate removal iron, Pt.1
DIY bridge plate removal iron, Pt.2
Steam removal of bridge plate
Bridge plate removed
Tongue brace removal
Crack repair and brace scallop
New bridge plate Pt. 1
New bridge plate Pt. 2
Patching hole in top
Final fitting of top patch
Installing carbon fiber rod
Fret removal
Fingerboard crack repair, Pt. 1
Fingerboard crack repair, Pt. 2
DIY fret bender tool
Refretting Pt. 1
Refretting Pt. 2
Tuner shaft repair
Neck reset - dovetail fitting
Measuring neck set with DIY jig
Gluing the neck with hide glue (This page)
Tortoloid Pickguard
Fitting bridge pins
Brace reglue
Making bone saddle
Making a buffalo horn nut
Restoration completed