The fretboard is glued to the neck, leaving a gap for the nut. It must also run straight down the neck so the fret slots are perpendicular to the centerline of the neck. Below I am fitting the fretboard and nut, making pencil marks for alignment during gluing.
Dry fitting the nut and fretboard
To glue the fretboard, I will use two scrap pieces of wood to spread the clamping pressure and also a strip of leather to protect the fretboard.
Parts for gluing the fretboard
Here is everything clamped together. As I tightened the clamps, I kept adjusting the fretboard to my alignment marks. Once all the clamps were tight, I removed the nut. It will be glued in place later. The strip of leather is in between the fretboard and the top piece of wood. The block of wood on the right is putting extra pressure on one corner that did not want to lay flat.
Fretboard being glued
Here is the assembly after gluing.
Fretboard glued to neck
The gap for the nut turned out perfectly.
Checking the fit of the nut
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