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I have some perfectly quartered spruce blocks I'd like to use on a couple of J45s, but wasn't sure if it would be okay structurally.

Boy, I sure hope so, cause I've used it for my last 80 guitars or so....

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

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I was just getting ready to type this same thing.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

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

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

How deep is that groove and inlay, Steve? Any pictures? THanks all for the replies!

Steve: I do exactly the same................................this is getting scary!! Remember the pipe wrench!!
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Beth, I go c. 1" wide, 1/8" deep. I'll look for a pic.

Tom, so who is imitating whom? Or has lightening struck in 2 places at same time?
Just might have to come up to Nova Scotia and see what else works well!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

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

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Steve: Anything I know I've stole or copied from the smart people...................!!
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Perfect! I get it....thanks so much, Steve.

Appendix brace, eh? Cute, but this is probably more useful than an appendix, no?
Like Tom admitted, this was an idea I stold. When visiting Don Gallagher in the early 70's he showed me his end blocks--done like this--and it made sense.
Actually, the birch ply makes even better sense, but I just enjoy shaping that little chunk of spruce.
And, when radiusing the rim assembly, the side-grained spruce is so well-behaved.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

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.

I don't mind a bit of weight in the tailblock......for multiple reasons.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I'm currently using a mahogany tail block with the grain running perpendicular to the side grain with two small (1/4") pieces laminated on top and bottom that run parallel to the side grain to add strength and avoid end grain gluing surface. So I guess it's laminated but I like the full lamination idea and may go that direction.

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Thank You and Best To All

I don't mind a bit of weight in the tailblock......for multiple reasons.

I try to remove weight from everywhere possible, and if anything, I'd prefer a slightly neck-heavy guitar to one that is tail-heavy. With a tail-heavy bias, your left hand is tasked with holding the guitar in position as well as fretting, where if it has a slight neck-heavy bias, the neck rests in the left hand naturally.

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).

Great thread and well-timed for me, as I'm currently looking into making components using woods native to North America. I'm curious to know whether or not people are using these or similar approaches with neck blocks as well as heel blocks. Anyone?

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George :-)

3 piece ala Fleta for me in Cedro. half round with tongue and groove construction: smaller top and bottom pieces run parallel to the rim, larger center section runs perpendicular.

a little weight in the tail helps though. too much and the neck lifts, too little and the weight slows down the fretting hand. one needs to balance this imo.

Ah, Mario, you're giving me pause. By that, I just mean that I'm relying on the butt wedge, grain running perpendicular to sides, to be that third part in my "ply". I take it you are recommending inlaying the glue side of the block, like is done on the other face. Not a bad idea at all... if I'm understanding aright. However, I like just as well the idea of a three-ply spruce block which is...as you say...near bullet proof.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

What I'm visualizing here is three pieces of end-block-shaped, but only 1/4" thick spruce....2 orienting the grain parallel and one with grain perpendicular and making a sandwich out of the three. Is that correct, Mario?

Two cross grain and the middle vertical grain. That's what I'm reading - I may have to bid my Baltic-ply blocks adieu as I have found I like light guitars; I think they sound better.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks so much for the info. It does indeed seem like a good idea but my experience is very limited and will defer to yours and will implement the new LarryH laminated tail block program ASAP - with a twist because I have a hard time doing anything exactly like someone else. Thanks again.

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Thank You and Best To All

I like the way Grumpy thinks.

Here's a visual aid...

Yup, that's how I'm going to do it. Thanks, Grumpy!