Here I have laid out the maple filler pieces and the truss rod beside the neck to illustrate how they are installed inside the neck. The shaped pieces will keep the rod in a curved shape relative to the neck. I took this picture before I made one more filler piece that filled in the slot in the heel after the point where the rod turns down into its anchor hole.
Truss rod and filler pieces
Hole for truss rod at the heel end of the neck
The truss rod needs to be free to move inside the neck, as minimal as that movement will be. To keep the glue from adhering to the rod I covered it with a 3-section polypropylene sleeve secured with adhesive celluloid wraps. (3 drinking straws and Scotch tape) I spread wood glue in the slot and added the lower filler piece, then the truss rod, then the upper filler piece and the filler piece at the heel. I clamped everything and let the glue dry.
Clamping the truss rod assembly in place
After the glue was set, I removed the clamps and cut the filler strips flush with the front of the neck.
Sawing filler strips flush
Then I gave the neck a sanding to smooth everything. On the right, at the heel end, you can see how the end of the truss rod, where it turns into its anchor hole, comes right to the surface. It’s actually sanded down a bit to not interfere when the fretboard is glued on.
Sanded neck
Sanded neck
I used a mild steel rod for this, so I am unsure if the threads will strip when the nut is tightened to any degree. It may have been pure folly, but I gave a shot at hardening the threads by heating them with a propane torch and quenching it in water. I had read that steel with a low carbon content like mild steel cannot be hardened to any great degree, so this may not have accomplished anything.
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