You don't want the end block's grain to run in the same orientation as the sides ...

Filippo

Boy, I sure hope so. Z .

Guess I'm in deep trouble.......................................!!!
Tom

So am I...

Trying to prevent the split that Filippo fears, we plow a vertical groove in our end block, 1" wide, and run a piece of vertical grained hardwood on the inside. That, with the butt wedge, enforces the block and makes it resistant to cracking. And still light!

Steve

Hey Beth, does this shed any light?
You can just see the groove down there in the tail block.
I like to have the surface of the inlay flush with the surface of the block.



Inlay isn't glued in at this point, but you should get the idea.

Steve

I make my own spruce or cedar "plywood" end block, from three pieces, about 1/4" thick, each. The middle piece runs perpendicular to the outer pieces, which run with the rib's grain.

Spruce and cedar is easier to find and more economical than solid mahogany, and the amount of time it takes to rip it to 1/4" and glue it up likely isn't much greater than the time it takes to inlay it like Steve does(which is nice! You do both surfaces, correct?).

I make my own spruce or cedar "plywood" end block, from three pieces, about 1/4" thick, each. The middle piece runs perpendicular to the outer pieces, which run with the rib's grain. Very stable, and when I tried to break(gotta love destructive testing, no? ) one in a vise, using a hammer, I lifted the benchtop from its base, yet the block didn't even crack, so methinks it's strong enough... As lightweight as possible, yet all put impossible to crack. Spruce and cedar is easier to find and more economical than solid mahogany, and the amount of time it takes to rip it to 1/4" and glue it up likely isn't much greater than the time it takes to inlay it like Steve does(which is nice! You do both surfaces, correct?).

Birch-ply will weigh the same as solid birch, which weighs just a bit less than maple, so it is indeed a relatively heavy block. Might appear lightweight, but that's only because it's a small piece.

[b][i]Larry, I was doing as you are on my first guitars, as it seemed like a good idea, but over time, a few guitars have developed hairline cracks in the ribs at the tailblock, and I am assuming it's because the tailblock doesn't move at all with the ribs, through the seasonal dimension changes. When I started to notice the problem is when I switched to my 3-layer laminated blocks, and the issue hasn't presented itself since(going-on about 12/13 years now).