Gap at heel

[buddy225]

I started trying to remove wood from the heel to raise the straightedge height so it's just over the bridge. I feel like i'm messing everything up. I now have gaps at the heel where the neck meets the body and the straightedge is still sitting too low. Any guidance you guys can provide is greatly appreciated. I want to make sure I'm not doing something wrong or see if I should be doing something different before i continue. Thanks as always, Pete

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[buddy225]

More pics

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[buddy225]

One more

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[Kevin Sjostrand]

Hi Pete,
It looks like you are pretty close to having the angle as you want that ruler to just come in above the bridge, perhaps a 64th to 32th of an inch.
How are you removing the material on the heel?
The best way to do this is to sit the neck into the mortise, and pull sandpaper face up under the cheeks and pull the paper out, toward you (toward the heel). You do this on both sides if your neck is already aligned center to the body. If you want the neck to tilt up, you remove more from the heel cap area (start about 1/2 way from the cap to the top). Take a few strokes and then a couple of full length strokes to "feather in" the area. Do this equally on both sides. If you get the neck off the centerline of the body, then you take more on one side of the cheeks to pull the neck back on center(if it off to the left, you take more off the right cheek, etc.).
Another way to do this sanding thing is to use some PSA backed sandpaper, stick it to the body on either side of the mortise, and slide the heel up and back across the paper.This can work well too, but you have to be more aware of where you place the pressure against the paper while sanding.
Go SLOW, be patient, and think about where the wood needs to be removed and you will get it, I'm sure of that.

And one other thing, make sure the body is flat at the mortise where the neck heel rests. This must be flat in both directions before you start the other process.

Kevin

[buddy225]

Hey Kevin,

Thank you for the guidance! I started out using a mill file to remove wood from the heel trying to tilt the neck up. The Stewmac instructions said to use a chisel but i was too nervous that I might take off too much at once. I actually started using the sandpaper pulling method but i started to get worried because i have that gap near the cap and if i put pressure on the heel it doesn't close it. I must have some high spots underneath? I'll use you advice and keep going with the sandpaper, 1/2 way, then feather in. Really appreciate the help!

Have a good one,
Pete

[tippie53]

you need to bevel the sharp corners of the joint and sand the cheeks a bit

[buddy225]

Hi John,

On the beveling, do you mean the inner part of the cheeks or edges of the mortise on the guitar body?
Also, thanks for this site and the video tutorials. This is a great place.

Thank you,
Pete

[tippie53]

at the sides where they come into the mortoise chamfer those at the side and open they may be holding you off.

[buddy225]

Okay, got it. Thank you John!

[ruby@magpage.com]

A cheat that I use is to put a piece of blue tape on both sides of the neck at the joint leaving exposed the tiny wedge of wood that I think I want to remove. Now I won't get anything backwards (one of my strengths) when I sand towards the straight edge of the tape. I move slowly as I work up to the tape. Sneak up on it and keep it straight.

Looks like you already have a spot that has been worked far enough at the heel, so maybe put a black marker spot inside the joint down there to remind you not to touch it.

And John means to relieve the inside flats of the neck part of the joint so the visible edges of the neck are what hits the body first. Chamfer may be the wrong word here, you are removing material near the base of the tenon by pushing a chisel straight in from the edge of the neck towards the tenon. Leave a small, 1/8" or so, part of the outside edge of the heel intact and remove what is closer to the tenon.

Here is a photo from the KMG site (thanks) showing the crosshatched area that is to be removed. If you do this, then it is very easy and quick to fit the remaining thin 1/8" surface because you are not sanding the whole big flat.