Official Luthiers Forum!

I bought some big chunks of honduran mahogany on ebay and I am makeing some things out of it.

Right now I am making heel and end plates out of it. The question I have is what radius is used on heel and neck blocks for Dreadnaught guitars?

I have been purchasing these already made, but why buy them when I can make them?  I know there is some radius to them, but have no idea what that radius is and it is not documented in the blueprints I have.

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

Ken are you talking about the tops and bottoms of the blocks or the side that the ribs are glued to?

Top and bottom are radiused with the rib assembly using the radius sanding dish. For the side of the blocks that are glued to the ribs, I stick some PSA sandpaper to inside of my mold and sand them in place. Perfect match for the mold curvature.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Thanks for the info!

I dont know why I didnt think of just sticking sandpaper to the sides while placed in the mold and sanding them this way.

RIght now I have a set of sides in the mold that is needing these blocks. WHile I have it in there I'll just go ahead and radius all 12 sets of blocks I have made up.

Thanks again!

Ken

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

Here's an idea I stole directly from Harry Fleishman. It works real slick, especially if you're going to make more than one guitar with the same shape. You just have to make a new table for the disk sander with a little metal lip on it so you can pattern sand.

_________________
______________________________
Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Thanks for sharing that picture!

It took me a few minutes studying what you said and then looking at the picture to see what you were talking about, but I understand now. Great jig!  I'll have to build myself one of those

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

It really is a pretty slick system. Here's my original blog post with a couple other pics: link

To make the pattern I just made a photocopy of that part of the blueprint and used 3M spray adhesive to fasten it to the base. That makes it real easy to keep track of the centerline and everything.

Just makes sure you design it so your toggle clamp doesn't stick out far enough to hit the disk sander... Don't ask me how I know that.

_________________
______________________________
Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Very cool idea indeed!!!
and now on my jiglist - which never seems to shrink, no matter how many jigs I build .
Cheers
Charliewood