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I am making my second Classical with a Spanish Heel. During my first, I cut the headblock to wide (about 1/64”) and had to shim the sides to close the gap between the sides and heel. I made note of this so I could be sure that I wouldn’t repeat this mistake again.

We’ll that failed. Last night while drum sanding my sides, I went too far. I was too concerned with thicknessing to .080”.

What do you recommend for shimming or closing the gap at construction time? Or, what is another procedure?

Thanks

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Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

Why not do the tapered slot style and put in tapered shims to get that joint perfectly tight?   It's structurally better, anyway.   

What is the tapered slot style?

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Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

Doug,

First, a disclaimer that I haven't done this myself, but this is the process that I've seen and read about...

Cut the heel side of your slot as normal, then enlarge it by making a wedge-shaped cut (doesn't have to be very large) that tapers to the end of your first cut. You can then insert your sides and use the cut-out wedge to hold them flush with your heel (you'll probably have to do some sanding on the wedge to get a tight fit). You'll want the wedge to fit pretty much flush to its original spot in the block. People who have done this a lot can fit the sides and wedge so well that glue isn't needed, but that sure would make me nervous! Make a few practice cuts on some junk wood of the same dimensions as your neck block, and test-fit your sides 'til you're comfortable with the process. Remember, if you're not practicing on scrap, you're practicing on your guitar!

[QUOTE=CarltonM] Doug,

People who have done this a lot can fit the sides and wedge so well that glue isn't needed [/QUOTE]

I think most people who build a Spanish heel don't glue the sides in, whether they're using a wedge or not. What do the rest of you do?

John

I do the wedge and glue it in. But no glue between sides and the neck heel. Only glue the wedge to the sides and foot.

I forgot to use glue on one, and its held up perfectly with just well fit wedges.

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The slot can be parallel. Just use two wedges to fill the slot. That makes it super easy, because you can just make 1 wedge, then cut it in half lengthwise, and turn one side around. You are guaranteed that the backs will be parallel.