Official Luthiers Forum!

I've seen a number of guitars that the neck heel has purfling under the heel plate. Typically, that purfling line is in line with the purfling that goes around under the side binding. I looks really nice, but I'm not sure how it's done. Do you route a channel into the heel by hand? How do you do it?
Thanks,
Steve

_________________
Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I believe corresponding veneers are laminated on the heel before the heel cap is glued on, or the veneers are laminated on to the heel cap, then glued to the heel.

I thought about that, but I have seen it where it matches the side purfling perfectly and is not likely veneers stacked under the heel...

_________________
Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Like this?



The way to do it (at least how I do it) is to make the heel cap the very last step before final sanding before finish. The set of the neck has been done at this point too.

Attach the neck and using a wide chisel, shave the heel just so it meets the side purfling. Glue on a laminate of the side purfling and the heel cap. Done.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Laminates for me.............!!
Tom

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

Lam the purfling piece to the heel cap. Trim heel to exact length. Add heel cap. Presto.

Lams.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

As others have mentioned, almost everyone uses stacked veneers. Quite honestly, this is the kind of embellishment that just looks awful if you don't have the woodworking chops to pull it off. For new builders, it is always better to start of with simpler aesthetics and slowly increase complexity as you gain in competency. As far as methodology, you need to add the laminates as one of the last steps in the neck fitting process. I add the heel cap after I have set the neck angle and mated the heel to the body. I then add the fretboard, carve the neck and do the final fitting and neck alignment. The important point is to have the neck pretty much ready to be mounted before adding the heel cap as additional sanding can cause the laminates to no longer line up with your side purfling.

I usually use stacked veneers, but you can bind them. Not for the faint-of-heart.

Not the best pic (cropped from a pic of the whole of the back), but you get the idea...

_________________
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

once upon a time I used premade purflings. But when I wanted to decorate the heal cap in purfling it lead to a problem. If you are using a black and white purfling made from fiber then it is easy. Just buy a sheet of each and make heal veneers.

If you are using wood for the white line than it is best to buy some wood veneer (maple and others work fine) and make your own. I usually use black fiber for the dark line. I make a piece with the same material that can be used to veneer the heal cap and usually the head plate.

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Thanks for the info. At this point I have been using premade B/W/B purfling. I can see that if you make your own purfling it would be easier to match the laminates of the heel cap. I figured you could use purfling and bind the heel cap as Trevor points out, but that probably is tricky. This is one of the many things that come with experience...

_________________
Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I do it the same way as Rod does. Take your time and remember it's easer to take it off than put it back on!

_________________
Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com