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hi everyone,
I need a little guidance.I am on my 1st build and all is well so far.But I can't seem to find out if the head and tail blocks must be quartersawn.William C. stated in his book that they could be laminated or solid (I forget if he denoted steel or classical).I know the grain must run the same direction as the sides.I have a slab of mahogany but not quartered.Should I wait and get quatersawn? the piece I have looks like flat or riftsawn.
I should have taken a pic I still can but thought I'd ask anyway.thanks in advance
Tim Detwiler

Tim

Honestly I have never checked to see if I was using quartered, flat or rift and I have done 15+. The only thing I have paid attention to is which direction the grain is going. I have used solid mahogany blocks so far, but am thinking in the future I will probably make my own laminated tail blocks.

You've got me wondering about this now. Let us see what some others have to say on the subject.

Josh

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Josh House

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Josh I was thinking, (oh no)
If you use a Quartersawn neck blank (especially mahogany)
with mahogany head block that you should try to use 1/4 sawn wood so all directions of expansion and contraction would match as closely as possible to the neck/body joint. I'm building a yellow cedar steel string dred lihgt or med ga. strings YC neck ,back/sides.
anyone have anymore input on this?

Tim, check out Mario Proulx's site, he shows how he laminates them and lowers the weight also, great site with lots of pictures and text, my 0.02 cents!

Serge

Wouldn't a flatsawn piece resist cracking just slightly better if you're doing a bolt-on? Grain side to side, in this case, in line with the sides.

Mattia

That thought did cross my mind.
Come on, where are the pros when we need them?

Josh

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Josh House

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I use QS Mahogany but I know many that use laminets and good quaility Baltic birch ply. If you use solid wood QS is not required. Ido becase I have the stock in hand. and I like the look.

Mahogany is a very stable wood. I have never paid much attention to
using quarter-sawn for the blocks. I used to run the grain crosswise to
the sides, but now feel it is much better to run the grain parallel to the
sides. Rift sawn is actually probably the strongest grain orientation for
this application.
Craig

Why not use 1/2" Baltic Birch for tail blocks?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Rift sawn is less prone to cracking than either flat or quartered. I always
laminate at 90?, with the side of the block that is glued to the sides at 90? to
them (for the headblock).Howard Klepper38750.6000925926

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When all else fails, clean the shop.

great info thank you everyone.
Really a big help.Hopefully I will get some pics up soon.
thanks,
Tim

For the neck blocks I use Rift sawn Mahogany, for the tail block I laminate two pieces of Sitka Spruce together. Very strong and light. Also less likely to split if someone drops it on the End pin.

Hey guys!...I was serious (and perhaps naive). Why won't 1/2" Baltic Birch work for the tail block? Am I missing something here?

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

1/2 Baltic birch ply will work. Others on the OLF said that that is exactly
what they use. (I think it was about 2 weeks ago)
Andy

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

The birch ply will work really well, but it is a tad heavy. If weight is not a concern for you, then it is a great choice.

I laminate the neck block into an "L" shape. The grain changes directions for stability. Each leg of the "L" gets a mortise. One mortise for the heel, and one mortise for the block supporting the fingerboard extension. This gets some shaping of course before it is glued in.   For a tail block I use baltic ply.


John

Mahogany for head blocks. 1/2" baltic birch for tailblocks.

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Hey Tim;
I used YC for the tailblock in my last guitar. Nice & light, really tough & stable. Do you have enough left from your neck blank? When I use solid wood for the block (tail) i orient the grain opposite the grain of the sides.

Dan,
I do have enough left over from the neck blank,I was actually considering the Yellow Cedar tail block since my sides and back are YC.It is very light and very stable.Maybe I over looked another reply but can I ask why orient the grain 90 deg. to the sides (tailblock). Is it to minimize movement,sort of like laminating.I was under the assumption that you would want to keep the grain the same for even movement during any seasonal changes but it would seem stronger to orient the grain opposite the sides.
thanks,
Tim
p.s.- Dan I'm starting to like the smell of the YC

oh i had a momentery (I hope) lapse of a brain signal. As I just noticed Arvey and others mentioned splitting or cracking.Great info everyone.baltic sounds good too but, if I dare buy as much as a wooden toothpick I think my wife would have me sleeping in the shop .
TimDet38751.8049884259

JJ, Jim Olson uses 5/8" Baltic birch I think. But the 1/2" would be fine I think. I use what ever Baltic I have around, the last 2 guits have 1/2"

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