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Courtnall seems to show the Romanillos heel with a tapered slot and a single wedge, but the examples I've seen (Waddy, Laplante) have straight slots and double wedges. What's the history on Jose's technique, is the double wedge the more recent approach?

Marc, Jose now advocates using a straight slot and opposing wedges, I use this and it is by far the simplest way of fitting the sides perfectly into the neck.

This illustrates what I use. When fitted it forces the sides against the front of the slot. I just cut a 10mm slot, two cuts with a tenon saw, then chisel out, use the usual angle to allow for the curve of the upper bout. Just use glue on the inside edges of the wedges, not on the face that touches the sides. What you are doing of course is to create a perfectly fitting slot for the sides, much tighter than you could do by just cutting a 2mm or so slot. As here i use a side cut off to judge the wedge size.



Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Yes, double wedge. The change seems to be a recent one in that the course materials included a drawing of the neck which we were to prepare prior to the course. This drawing showed the tapered single wedge design and that is what I made.
It is rather tricky to get both a good fit (especially once you add glue to the equation) and to seat the single wedge all the way down (also once it's in ...it's in).
The double wedge slot being parallel is much easier to cut and the wedges are more controllable as you insert them.

Didn't someone post a pic recently of a jig and saw showing how to cut the slots?
Also, anyone have an update for the release date of the Romanillos book?

That was David's thread on Working up a Classical Neck.

I made one of David's jigs up last weekend. I also rigged a Japanese Dozuki saw with a pair of blades 1cm apart, and sawed one set of slots, and it worked great. When I flipped it over and cut the other side, I failed to notice, because of the sawdust, that the saw was cutting into the jig as it sawed, resulting in one more ruined neck.. I may be able to salvage it, but have not had a chance to really figure it out yet. I think I'm going to re-cut the jig, and put a metal plate on the face where the saw rests when cutting.

I would like to know about the Romanillos book too.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I find that rather than using a double bladed jig (it's that jig thing again!) just cutting two separate slots 10mm apart then chiselling was the easy solution. I also find that a stiff, thicker blade, as on a traditional tenon saw, made for a more accurate cut. As long as you cut the front of the slot accurately any error on the rear can be adjusted with the wedges.

It is a gloriously simple yet elegant solution to the fitting of the sides to the neck.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Since I am way too lazy to do a jig for this, I am simply clamping a beveled (the bevel is to create a slight angle, was it 4 degrees?, although I made a neck with 90 degrees cuts and it worked fine) piece of hardwood to the side of the neck as guide for a dozuki saw. Then I move the guide 1cm further, cut again. Flip the guide and clamp on the other side. What helps me in this method is that I make the heel block flush and square with the neck shaft.

The dozuki is quite precise and extremely fast, when helped with a guide it cuts like laser.

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Build log

Thanks everyone for the replies--straight slot 10mm width with double wedges sounds like the most recent and a simple way to go.

My jig is pretty simple. A beveled face on a block with two recessed magnets to hold the saw. I just clamp the block to the neck, the magnets hold the saw firmly at the bevel angle of ~4 degrees.