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I Picked up a piece of solid maple for the octave mandolin build. It has some quilting so I am going to reinforce it with 2 CF bars. One on each side of the truss rod. I have 3 questions.
1. Should the bars extend into the dovetail?
2. Should they be kept on the surface against the fret board or recessed and a strip placed on top?
3. What glue is best for intalling them. I have seen epoxy, CA and fish glue all used on various you tube videos.
No need to extend into the dove tail with the CF rods but you can if it works out better for your approach.
Cover them with wood, more glue surface area when the finger board goes on.
I would use epoxy for the best bond to both the CF and wood. West System is the type I would recommend using.
2. It will make your life easier to recess them and cover with a strip. CF doesn't respond well to sandpaper, scraper, plane, or any other tool that you might try to use to true up the neck surface to accept the fingerboard.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishmando
I found this out the hard way.
3. Epoxy is probably the best choice, and, so far as I know, is the industry standard.
Fish glue?? Absolutely not. So much for youtube.
I like to extend the CF right across the neck joint into the fretboard extender. That way the CF will help keep the extender true with the neck over time. However, I would suggest not using quilted maple for an octave neck, even with carbon fiber added, as octaves have a large amount of tension on a long, skinny neck.
Just to add, I extend the carbon fiber rod up into the headstock, because the headstock/neck transition is a really delicate part of the instrument.
Thanks everyone.
So it sounds like recessing with epoxy is the way to go. I was planning to extent the CF into the headstock, especially since I am installing a truss rod.
I am kind of commited to the quilted neck since the back and sides are quilted. That is why I wanted to use the CF in addition to the truss rod.
Carrying the CF into the extender sounds like a good idea, but this design is not using an extender. It carries the neck angle into the carved top so a conventional dovetail joint is used.
I have been very pleased with a truss rod combined with a small piece ( 1/8” wide by 1/4” tall) of carbon fiber on each side. But, the first time I tried it, I used a “hot rod” style truss rod and it was not strong enough to move the neck with the carbon fiber in it. I replaced that rod with a traditional compression rod and it works perfectly now. I’ve used that combo in a few instruments since and have been very happy with the way it works. I also like to extend the cf into the fretboard extension.
Not a mandolin, but here's how Howard Klepper utilized carbon fiber reinforcement on my guitar - inlaid flush below the fretboard and into the dovetail and headstock.
https://vtoddyates.files.wordpress.c...psaafodnl7.jpg
https://vtoddyates.files.wordpress.c...psknofwqnu.jpg