Mortise and tenon

Questions and answers for beginners. If you have a question, so do most other people.
kencierp

Re: Mortise and tenon

Post by kencierp »

When flossing to make a uniform fit with the rim knocking off coating over-spray etc. you pull the paper out to the side not downward.

For a reset you pull the paper down, this drags the abrasive progressively more against the cheek as it approaches the back taking off more at the end of the heel cheek then from the top. A natural angle is created. As mentioned before most of the time you want to tilt the neck away from the top.
deadedith

Re: Mortise and tenon

Post by deadedith »

The light just went on! I will pass it on and pretend it was my idea!! :-)
Thanks
deadedith

Re: Mortise and tenon

Post by deadedith »

I found this useful page that has pix (plural of pic) and tips of flossing.
http://www.lenaweelutherie.info/page6/p ... age31.html
Jim_H
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Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:51 pm
Location: Bothell, WA USA

Re: Mortise and tenon

Post by Jim_H »

I was looking for that link yesterday. It is indeed a good visual reference for this type of work.

One lesson I learned on my first guitar is that you have to make sure that you have a good flat surface on the body where the neck joins before you start fitting the neck. Otherwise it makes it very difficult to get a nice clean, tight fit against the body.
My poorly maintained "Blog"
johnnparchem
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Re: Mortise and tenon

Post by johnnparchem »

Runningdog wrote:The photos are very useful and his system seems to work for him. My only comment is that most repair folks don't rely on sandpaper to shape the neck cheeks. It's WAY too hard to sand a straight line! My students almost always sand a curve in the cheeks causing the neck to rock and preventing a good fit or a good neck set. It's generally better to use chisels and scrapers to get a decent set, then use the flossing technique only for the final detail fitting. Ken Cierp's comment about flossing is very helpful.
I think I was the poster student of sanding curves with sanding blocks. I use chisels and scrapers.
Jim_H
Posts: 506
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:51 pm
Location: Bothell, WA USA

Re: Mortise and tenon

Post by Jim_H »

Runningdog wrote:The photos are very useful and his system seems to work for him. My only comment is that most repair folks don't rely on sandpaper to shape the neck cheeks. It's WAY too hard to sand a straight line! My students almost always sand a curve in the cheeks causing the neck to rock and preventing a good fit or a good neck set. It's generally better to use chisels and scrapers to get a decent set, then use the flossing technique only for the final detail fitting. Ken Cierp's comment about flossing is very helpful.
Actually I think I'm the 'poor sanding habits' Poster Child (lots of evidence on my first guitar).

Sanding has it's time and place, and when done, it needs to be done the right way, using the right tools (blocks, etc...).

My problem has always been reaching for a piece of 180 grit instead of a chisel or a plane or scraper. I developed these habits before I knew how to sharpen my tools, and sandpaper doesn't need sharpening. Now that my tools are sharp, it's much easier to reach for those instead of old sandy.
My poorly maintained "Blog"
Kevin Sjostrand
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Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:06 pm
Location: Visalia, CA

Re: Mortise and tenon

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

I have used the mortise and tenon exclusively, and I think I will continue to do so. I have also struggled a little using sandpaper. I have cut my cheeks with the appropriate angle on my table saw, so I have a straight, supposedly flat surface to mate to the guitar body, but I still wind up flossing with sandpaper to adjust slightly, especially to line up the centerlines.
I will try on my current build to not use sandpaper, and turn to the scraper and see if I can do a better job of it.

Kevin
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