Guitar Neck Scarf Joint, How To Measure, Cut And Glue. 

You embody the phrase "Cleanliness is next to godliness." You precision with measurements, cuts, dust free, and double check in order to achieve perfection are exemplary. Well done and thank you. You are like a diamond cutter on would. I can think of no better way to do it. I'm inspired.

So impressed! I watched many videos regarding the making of a scarf joint. Nothing is as clear nor simple than your demo. Thank you!

by far the most helpful video i have come across for cutting a scarf joint, thank you for the clear instructions!

wax paper, the luthier's secret weapon.... great video!!

Thank you very much for this extremely detailed and well organized video. I believe I now have the scarf joint "how-to" pretty much wrapped up! Thanks again!

This is a precious video. Thanks.

I've built 3 mandolins with scarf joint head stocks. They can have a central rib configuration that is different from the neck center rib and can be stunningly beautiful. Not only that, but it is a superior way to make the wood grain way less prone to breaking if the head ever gets a traumatic fall or something like a damaging injury. Give it a try -- it's worth the effort. Les Paul models are very easily broken because it takes too much effort to make a scarf jointed head stock attachment. The grain direction is wrong. A good glue, like Titebond, is stronger than the wood, but do not use hide glue. Hide can melt if an instrument is left in a locked car in the summer with windows rolled up. Really good luthiers will use scarf joints, most, if not all the time.

Clear, informative, and relaxing :) Thank you.

I make cigar box guitars and I used this method to make a jig yesterday and cut several necks and headstocks very successfully. We have a big saw at work so I could do the 3" headstocks in one cut. This is a game changer thank you.

Thank you for this tutorial; this has been very helpful for my first build.

Really straightforward explanation. Very nicely executed joint.

Very good tutorial...I just got your newsletter today...was actually researching how to determine where to make the cut.

im glad i came across this video! been planning a guitar neck build and this was perfect to learn from!

nice! i just watched this after messing up my 15` angle cut on a compound mitre saw. lol shit

Extremely informative! I have been afraid to do scarfs (mainly sticking to strat type headstocks) but I think I'm going to give this a go

Thank you for that, a clear and concise explanation.

Thank you! I will be using this method as I tried chop saws, band saws and handsaws. This is the most accurate and once I set up my jig, it will be the easiest.

You should check out David Fletcher's scarf joint sanding jig, it will save you a ton of time truing up your scarf joints.

i glued my neck blank together on the floor, lol. this whole clamp and table setup looks clean

A really helpful video with lots of very useful tips...thanks

That pencil trick is really clever. Definitely trying that later. Thanks!

This was very helpful!

I made the same basic scarf jig for my band saw.. I've made a couple scarf joints on the band saw that I am happy with..

Excellent video. Thank you.

thanx....great video. i'll do a scarf joint today.

Two piece necks look cool. I first saw them on Abasi guitars and they were really wild, but I like yours too. Reminiscent of how a plain maple top can be really nice

thanks for a great idea, i plan to use a router to plane the angle cut with a jig

really nice router jig. great work.

Thank you Sir Great lesson

Love this video!

I’ve done scarf joints both ways. I prefer to glue on top because fret board will cover where the lumber meets and make it a stronger joint when fretboard is then glued on. But I have never encountered a problem either way

very very helpful, thank you!

thank you! this video helped me a lot!

I was reading the comments of some of these guys about where their scarf joint ends up being on their guitar and was looking at the scarf joint i the guitars that I bought in the late 90’s from a certain company and looking at it from the low e string side (bass side) of the neck the joint part that touches the back of the fretboard is at the second fret. And the back side of the scarf joint that the thumb touches is almost at the nut. The only reason I can think of why it ended up that far forward is because of the thickness of the wood, like it was thicker when glued together and then trimmed down after it was glued maybe? The glue joint actually broke and I glued it back together but trying to get parts to fix it back up and get her back to being played.

thank you

Very Nice work.

Anyone feel free to correct me, but I believe I see a mistake in terminology that is common with these joints. What is shown as Method A, is actually a Reverse Scarf Joint. To the best of my knowledge, all classical guitars have headstocks made with this technique. The Method A - Method B schematics reveal which gives a greater bonding surface - the Reverse Scarf.

Nice work. Tnx for posting.

Nice work!

This is very interesting. I have learned a lot from your video. Thank you.Thumbs up! Subscribed to your channel.

i plan on doing mine with 5 piece laminate..two outside pieces are one piece .the middle piece is method b and the pieces between are method a

Instead of sanding that second phase, have you considered clamping the two pieces on the jig and going back through the table saw again?

Большое спасибо!

thank you most help full.

I have an early model Jackson Rhoads guitar and the headstock is broken. I , being new to repairing guitars, used epoxy and Gorilla glue to try to repair the break. How would I successfully repair it? I was thinking about removing the fretboard and separating the scarf joint and rebuilding that part of the guitar? Either that or use a band saw to remove the broken portion of the neck and use a sander and Sharpie to remove it. Trying to maintain the same angles and original neck dimensions.

method A seems like it would produce a stronger glue joint, just because there is more gluing surface area??..

Just had a quick question. Why not do the cut on your sled in 1 cut instead of three? Also why 3 sanding methods? You would think especially the oscillating sander would accomplish a perfectly flat result. These aren't criticisms! I am genuinely trying to learn. Your results certainly look perfect!!

11:16 nice router thinning jig

Thank's

This video helps me to understand the degree of the headstock. I'm just getting into building my first Guitar and I have video of my design and Blueprint desaing. Question Can I make it 20 or 25 degrees?

Any reason to use the router to reduce the thickness instead of a thickness planer? Snipe?

I think you could just cut the base at the same angle as the fence and clamp the neck blank to the fence.

would a mitter saw be a better power tool for the job

Man, I wish I had your tools?

no video on carving the guitar neck?

Well, i tried this, and i don't know what I'm doing wrong. I made the 13 deg angle jig. Measured 6.75 in from tip of headstock to nut. Added 1.75in as per method A. When i flip the headstock, it's 3in too short and the neck is lengthened by that 3in. The angle matches perfectly with another neck i have. So, the jig must be right

Please whats the name of glue you used, and are there other options of glue?

Method b would be great with a valute.

may i ask why you used that angled jig instead of just cross cutting it with the blade tilted at the desired angle?

Question, why not use a mitre saw instead of that crazy jig ?

@Project Electric Guitar I followed you instruction to make the scarf-joint, method A. I can't say it didn't worked because it did, but I noticed that sometimes the glue joint line stay under the nut area and is quite annoying and not so nice aesthetically. I take the measurement of the headstock and add the extra space, usually even more than needed, but the scarf line keep being in an odd position. Any guess?

Hi, this calculate method is only for 13° angle headstock?

Is your formula for doing scarfs based on the 13 degree headstock? If so, what would the formula be for a 10 degree headstock?

master.!!!!!!!!!!!!

How come you made 3 passes to cut the scarf joint instead of just one pass? Just curious

Hi, Watched most of your videos.Really great. One question, though. Could you use a band saw for this operation... Thanks Tony

Great vids! Thank you! May I ask you why most liuthers prefers scarf joint over one piece headstock/neck construction? I mean for angled headstock which method is the best? Does one piece gives more resonance? Thank you!

Wrap your cauls with shipping tape, no need for the wax paper

What type of circular saw blade use for it?

if you put the base on the side of the fence you can have a stiffer base and have more elevation...just saying

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and for explaining so well all the procedure. I learnt a lot. May I as what computer software do you use to do all your drawings ? Kind regards.

On your schematic, isn't the length "D" for method B, labelled 9.5", in error? That's the same as method A

How can i rout the scraf with hand router

What type of bit did you use on your router to reduce the thickness of the head ?

how thick is the walnut? an inch? 2 inch?

please don't take this the wrong way I appreciate anyone who takes the time to teach others how to do things like guitar building. I just see a few safety issues with the jig you built, the sled should have a rail that rides in the miter slot to keep the work piece from twisting and causing a potential kickback for one. If it was just you showing people how you do it it wouldn't be a big deal but since you may be teaching someone who may not have the same amount of experience with a table saw as you I think safety should be paramount when making these videos. I use a miter saw to cut my scarf joints or I'll just free hand them on the band saw and use a jig I built to sand them perfectly flush. Again not trolling your video I've actually learned some cool stuff from you and all of the other YOU TUBE luthiers. Thank you for the cool videos.

Is there a way to glue it so you can make a neck valu? or do you need a thicker piece of wood?

What type of blade is that? Thanks!

will this work for a steel string acoustic ?

I dont know why, but scarf joints scare me.

Do you have Facebook id??

I don't see the point of scarf joint. Why wouldn't you use like a 5 piece neck with an carved tilt back headstock? It is like a million times stronger then scarf joint. Just my idea, idk.

Better cut with bandsaw.