The CBGers lament: Given it all to do again, I'd do things differently, but here we are.
I've got my fiddle neck ready to install but just screwing it into the block, from either inside or outside, is too difficult. Drill can't reach into the tiny space, or drilling at an angle is too hard without a proper drill press -- and even then.
What kind of fastener am I looking for here? Like maybe one that screws into the heel of the neck and then bolts into the box? What would something like that be called so I can find it? Is that not a good idea?
I worry about screwing anything into the endgrain for long term hold, but here I am.
Open to any and all ideas!
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Glad it worked out, anxious to see the finished product.
Diane said:
All is well. Glued in a dowell, redrilled the hole, reset the threaded insert (still crooked, argh!) So I just now glued on the fingerboard and touched up the finish. I"ll bolt on the neck tomorrow and string 'er up! But first have to toddle over to the music store and buy a bridge.
What have I learned? I think the threaded inserts go in best with a power drill with a drill bit with a really wide paddle. I think you can get nice level torque that way and they'll go in straight.
Also, folks, patronize your local little hardware store. If they have a great wall of obscure parts, keep them in business by buying from them whenever you can. Just try to find a threaded insert at the Home Despot! Har!
All is well. Glued in a dowell, redrilled the hole, reset the threaded insert (still crooked, argh!) So I just now glued on the fingerboard and touched up the finish. I"ll bolt on the neck tomorrow and string 'er up! But first have to toddle over to the music store and buy a bridge.
What have I learned? I think the threaded inserts go in best with a power drill with a drill bit with a really wide paddle. I think you can get nice level torque that way and they'll go in straight.
Also, folks, patronize your local little hardware store. If they have a great wall of obscure parts, keep them in business by buying from them whenever you can. Just try to find a threaded insert at the Home Despot! Har!
I would drill a hole into the box from the outside of the box. Use the hole, and put a screw through the hole to mark on the neck where you want to match the neck. Beautiful neck you the way! I used the connectors with the screw on one end and bolt on the other. 1/4" should work well.
Diane just go one size up on the bolt. If you stripped out the last hole that means you drilled the hole too big to start with. You want the hole the same size as the bolt minus the threads on it. Meaning if you were to sand all the wood threads off the bolt thats the size of the drill bit. Be careful not to use too small of a bit because this could put too much strain on the neck and make it crack.
But first, try to find a bit larger insert/bolt. If not, then dowel. And I wanted to string it up this week! Sigh.
Paul Doug said:
This would be what I would do. As Jim says. OR, better yet send that neck to me and I will see if I can attach it to one of MY boxes!! Really, it should not be too hard to fix, drill a little bigger hole, glue in a dowel and than redo the insert thing.
This would be what I would do. As Jim says. OR, better yet send that neck to me and I will see if I can attach it to one of MY boxes!! Really, it should not be too hard to fix, drill a little bigger hole, glue in a dowel and than redo the insert thing.
start over? I just had the neck pop off is "set neck" reso that I thought was perfect.... The box is ruined. Probably as many hours as I've put into any built.... Oh, well......
the best,
Sam
Diane said:
Crap! The first threaded insert went in text-book perfect, flush and tight. The second one kept wanting to veer to the side so the bolt to be inserted would be at a crazy angle. I backed it out and tried again, both with a screwdriver and a drill.
And of course, now I've stripped the hole of any wood left to hold the insert. It just spins around in there, doing no good whatsoever.
Crap! The first threaded insert went in text-book perfect, flush and tight. The second one kept wanting to veer to the side so the bolt to be inserted would be at a crazy angle. I backed it out and tried again, both with a screwdriver and a drill.
And of course, now I've stripped the hole of any wood left to hold the insert. It just spins around in there, doing no good whatsoever.
Hey Diana,
Its not all that hard to do, another one of those jobs that can be over thought because it seems so hard.
I suggest going to a banjo site for installation ideas.
Also before you screw and , or glue, check your neck angle carefully to make sure once its glued in that the strings are where you want them in relation to the neck.
What I do when building banjos is lay the pot down flat on the table set the neck in place next to the banjo so its mocked up in the position it'll be in when installed and lay a straight edge along the top from BRIDGE height to nut.
If the strings dont lay at the right height then you go back and trim a bit off the the back of the heel until the angle is where you want it ( string height).
Once you have the angle where you want it you can use one of the methods mentioned by the other guys, or do what I do and install a wooden hardwood dowel in the middle area of the heel and then install a long wood screw in the bottom back of the heel going thru the reenforced part and into the neck.
To figure out where to drill the holes ( they can be drilled from outside the box) tap a couple of small nails into the beck of the heel and then press it in place on the box. It'll leave marks to show you where to drill your large hole for the dowel and screw.
I've used this method many times and it has always worked.
Replies
Diane said:
What have I learned? I think the threaded inserts go in best with a power drill with a drill bit with a really wide paddle. I think you can get nice level torque that way and they'll go in straight.
Also, folks, patronize your local little hardware store. If they have a great wall of obscure parts, keep them in business by buying from them whenever you can. Just try to find a threaded insert at the Home Despot! Har!
Joe
Paul Doug said:
the best,
Sam
Diane said:
And of course, now I've stripped the hole of any wood left to hold the insert. It just spins around in there, doing no good whatsoever.
Now what to do?
Its not all that hard to do, another one of those jobs that can be over thought because it seems so hard.
I suggest going to a banjo site for installation ideas.
Also before you screw and , or glue, check your neck angle carefully to make sure once its glued in that the strings are where you want them in relation to the neck.
What I do when building banjos is lay the pot down flat on the table set the neck in place next to the banjo so its mocked up in the position it'll be in when installed and lay a straight edge along the top from BRIDGE height to nut.
If the strings dont lay at the right height then you go back and trim a bit off the the back of the heel until the angle is where you want it ( string height).
Once you have the angle where you want it you can use one of the methods mentioned by the other guys, or do what I do and install a wooden hardwood dowel in the middle area of the heel and then install a long wood screw in the bottom back of the heel going thru the reenforced part and into the neck.
To figure out where to drill the holes ( they can be drilled from outside the box) tap a couple of small nails into the beck of the heel and then press it in place on the box. It'll leave marks to show you where to drill your large hole for the dowel and screw.
I've used this method many times and it has always worked.
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