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Filling neck pocket hole with wood glue

C

cigi

Aug 22, 2006
538
16
#1
Hey Luthier's,

I need do fill a neck pocket hole in a body to redrill it a bit to the left. The new hole will partly be in the filled hole. The filling will not be seen since it will be under the neck plate and finish.

Is it ok to fill a hole in a body with wood glue and will it be strong enough to keep the neck screws after it is reassembled?

Thanks,

Cigi
 
#4
Hi Cigi.

I'm no luthier either ;), but I second the "glue + a dowel" method suggested above.

You might get adequate results by using a hard wood filler or epoxy to fill the hole but why bother. If the density of the filling differs too much from the surrounding material the bit wanders off unless You're using a router clamped to the body and an end mill bit.

Regards
Sam
 
#5
Sean S said:
I think gluing in a piece of dowel and drilling through that would hold better, but I'm not a luthier, so I can't say.
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree. We're dealing with strength issues and the ability to take a finish. I don't think a wood glue patch will cut it. For that fact, I'd be reluctant to use marine epoxy and/or JB Weld although I've used both for non-cosmetic functional repairs.

Note: when using dowel plugs, be aware that proper grain orientation is a must.

Riis
 
#7
T-Bird said:
Hi Cigi.

I'm no luthier either ;), but I second the "glue + a dowel" method suggested above.

You might get adequate results by using a hard wood filler or epoxy to fill the hole but why bother. If the density of the filling differs too much from the surrounding material the bit wanders off unless You're using a router clamped to the body and an end mill bit.

Regards
Sam
Click to expand...

That's right. It's happened to me. I've successfully used dowels glued in with carpenter's glue and re-drilled with a drill press after. But if there will be grain showing it needs to be a matching wood plug instead of a dowel so you can stain and finish it to match.
 
#8
Will this hole be visible when you're done, or covered by a steel plate?

If it's going to be covered, you can use an old furniture maker's trick and fill the hole with wooden matchsticks or toothpicks dipped in glue; when the glue has cured, it's a simple matter to cut off the protruding stubs with a sharp chisel, and drill a new pilot hole.

If the hole will be visible, I would use a plug cutter to make a face grain plug instead of using a dowel because exposed end-grain can be conspicuous. I prefer to use tapered plugs because they become tighter as you drive them home. If you carefully select the stock from which you'll make your plugs, they'll all but disappear when installed.

If you use a brad-point bit to drill your pilot hole it won't "skate" like a twist drill, especially if you dimple the surface first.

Good luck!
 
#10
With today's modern adhesives, glues hold much better than the wood when properly applied. One other thing to remember here is repairability. Most PVA glues (yellow and white) can not be repaired and will not stick to itself after curing and repairing. One thing to always keep in mind with Yellow woodworkers glue: It will "creep" on you...even years after it has set. Yellow woodworkers glue does not harden to a "rigid" glue line. It is pliable and if you leave your instrument in the car in the summer? I can come apart on ya.

Plastic Resin glue is a glue that dries rigid as well as an adhesive called Unibond 800.

On another note though, the old school Hide Glue works very well and can easily be repaired. If you don't want to use a Hot Hide glue via a glue pot, then use the more modern version of the Hide Glue but out by Franklin called Liquid Hide Glue. Works well, holds well, and does not creep after setting.

Last thing....another good adhesive that can be repaired but holds very well when you have an application that does not need a lot of clamping pressure? Epoxy. Get a good grade of epoxy and not the stuff you can get at the local big box store. Epoxy is designed to have "some" clamping pressure but not like standard PVA glues that require a good tight joint fit for the glue to hold properly. Expoxy even has "micro-bubbles" that you can mix in with it to use as a gap filler.

Oh yea, stay away for polyurethane glues like Gorilla glue. The foam from the glue has ZERO strength and the glue will stain your wood.

Ok...I'm done now. :D
 

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