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When I finally got my dovetail neck joint to fit together comfortably enough so that my neck angle is where it should be I now notice that the fit between the mortise and tenon is far too loose. It slides in and out no problem but theres no bite.
And I tried several shims but nothing seems to work. Even the thinnest shim doesn't seem to help it tighten and if I put in a shim thats a little thicker it wont push together at all despite sanding it down etc

I'm now worried that if I go ahead and glue it as it stands,will there be the possibility that it would pull out under full string tension. Would it be a daft idea to put a bolt down through the end of the heel and bolt it into the neckblock or is that overkill ? Dowels could be another option but that would be very difficult to fit together. Or am I worrying unnecessarily. Will it Hold ?
When I watch Johns videos I see that he has a really tight joint every time but I obviously sanded away too much material somewhere along the line. Has anyone ever experienced this and found a remedy?
Any advise would be appreciated very much
Rusty

you need thicker not thinner . If you can pull the neck out straight your tenon isn't holding. Put a thicker shim. I suspect you may have your tenon angle flattened out.
This is a simple pinch joint so don't over think it. Before you make a wood shim use some index cards and see what you need. ALso when you clamp the neck onto the paper you will read the mating surface.
see if that helps. ALso make sure nothing is holding the joint off.