Thread: neck and tail block

Im currently using ply for my tail blocks. My tail blocks are made of two layers of 13mm marine ply because Ive got alot of it lying around (use it for jigs) but 19mm ply should be fine.

If youre really keen on a mahogany neck block and Gilet hasnt got them then just order an extra mahogany neck set and you normally get a couple of blocks of same to build up the heel block.

Cheers Martin

I used to use marine ply too and stucturally it was fine.
Just to muddy the waters though, I changed to using solid wood with the grain going the same way as the sides. The reason was that I found after a few humidity changes, the shape of the end of the tailblock became visable on the front of the soundboard. That was bugging me! I already used the neck block with the grain in line with the sides to avoid fretboard humps for the same reason, and it works! No lumps in the finish and everything stays nice and flat in all weathers.
There is a much greater risk of cracks,(I'm sure you're thinking!) but I've made probably over 100 insruments this way now and so far so good. I do tend to inlay thin strips of wood along each edge cross grain as crack stoppers, but not right to the end, bit hard to explain without a picture!
Anyway, I've used a lot of Kauri pine for blocks. Mahogany is great if you can spare it. Mathews timber in Vermont ( for those in melbourne) usually has a good stack of the Fiji plantation mahog
Jack

Thanks for the info Jack. I know of one classical builder who makes up a 3 piece end block with grain running at right angles to top and back at ends of the block. Once I use up all my marine ply I might give this method a try.

No worries Martin, I'm relieved it made sence! Your friends idea sounds pretty similar.
I got a bunch of tailblocks in with a load of wood sent to me from a friend recently, they are for classicals. They are solid wood, no laminations. made of something that looks like poplar but smells like cypress. maybe Canadian yellow cyprus??? anyway, they have the grain going inline with the sides and are machined into a cresent moon shape. The shape alows them to be quite thick in the middle, about 19mm, and tapering to nothing at the edges so they are still lightwieght. I think thats how Torrez did a lot of his, although maybe he used spruce for blocks?
Hope they give you a bit of workshop space out there in the Timor sea!
jack

No workshop space out here Jack. I spend most of my working day jammed into a tiny work area inside a shipping container thats fitted out as a lab unit. 3 of us working in here and the air cons look like theyre both about to crater.....not good as we head into wet season up here.

Wont be doing much guitar building for next few weeks as I only get 3 days off after this job before mobilising to New Zealand for the next assignment.