Headstock scarf joints

Vespa Bob

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Of the two scarf joints shown in the diagram, which is preferable, or does it solely depend on whether a headplate veneer is being used? I'd appreciate the advice from the experts on this, as I have used both methods and in either case, a joint will be shown and both methods seem to take the same time to produce. An amateurish question, no doubt, but if we don't ask, we don't learn!

Bob
 

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I use the bottom method and use a veneer on both the top and back of my headstock. This is coming from a guitar building background where one of the most common repairs is the broken headstock. Using this method is near impossible for the head stock to snap at the join.
 
Thanks for the quick reply! Yes, I've seen pics of your headstocks and I love the way the back veneer "flows" into the neck. I'll have to try that some day.

Bob
 
I use the bottom method and use a veneer on both the top and back of my headstock. This is coming from a guitar building background where one of the most common repairs is the broken headstock. Using this method is near impossible for the head stock to snap at the join.

This is the method I use too. Bob
 
Hi Bob. I'm not too worried about having the benefit of long grain orientation in a ukulele headstock, and I use a method taken from Jonathan Kinkead's book on guitar building to create the equivalent of a one piece neck. Instead of making a scarf joint in the traditional way with the attendant difficulties with clamping and achieving a flat square joint face, Jonathan simply glues on a block as you would for the heel, and bandsaws out the headstock profile. You don't get the long grain orientation, but no problems with creating a perfect joint, and clamping is a doddle. After cutting out the profile, I plane the headstock top face flat and then thickness it using a fence clamped to my oscillating spindle sander. I use a 2 mm thick long grain hardwood veneer on top.

P1080131.jpg P1080134.jpg
 
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Thanks for your comments. Wildestcat, I've used this method too, and agree that it's a good way to go. My Teardrop sopranos, being Favilla clones, don't have a headstock veneer, so for those, I use option 1, as I don't think a joint in the middle of the headstock looks right. Or is that accepted?

Bob
 
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