Neck block for a cutaway

[Eric_K]

I've been through the internet, Cumpiano, Simihoff, and Kinkead. - How do you mark and cut the angle of a neck block on the cut-away side of a cut-away guitar?

I know folks here have done it. I have ideas, but I need good ideas.


Thanks,

Eric

[John Parchem]

A lot depends on the design of the cutaway. Generically, you need a top down view of the design you are using including the fret board. At the join the block will follow the outside of the fret board minus the thickness of the finished sides. The sides also need to be slanted such the the fret board will never fall outside of the top. Once you have that all drawn out to you satisfaction including a center line, photo copy the block area and use it as a template. It is more complicated if you the sides to follow a classical heel. I never done that. My cutaway join is perpendicular to the top with the sides flush with the heel of the neck.

[Eric_K]

A lot depends on the design of the cutaway. Generically, you need a top down view of the design you are using including the fret board. At the join the block will follow the outside of the fret board minus the thickness of the finished sides. The sides also need to be slanted such the the fret board will never fall outside of the top. Once you have that all drawn out to you satisfaction including a center line, photo copy the block area and use it as a template. It is more complicated if you the sides to follow a classical heel. I never done that. My cutaway join is perpendicular to the top with the sides flush with the heel of the neck.

That was sort of my idea. I was going to put the neck in the block, place the unbound fretboard on the neck and draw the line and make the binding the same thickness as the side at the neck.
Drop vertical lines down the block and remove the material.

[John Parchem]

The vertical lines confused me. It seems like the block on the cutaway side should have an angle at or slightly more than the fretboard angle, SO that the fret board extension does not end up outside the top in the cutaway section. It sounds like you are doing it but make sure that you account for the thickness of the sides. For example my 12 fret join neck is 58 mm wide at the join. Half of that is 29. I make a venetian cutaway so on the cutaway side the bock will be a slight bit more than 27mm. My sides are 2 mm. That side of the block gets slightly wider heading down toward the center of the guitar matching the fret board angle. I am making one today myself. The other side just extends a normal distance from the centerline.

I believe a Florentine would work the same way.

[John Parchem]

I just roughed out this block

cutawayblcok.jpg (82.98 KiB) Viewed 3774 times

[Eric_K]

Thanks - That is about what I was thinking.

I'll post some pictures of my idea when I get started

[ken cierp]

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