Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a uke kit that has the sides as one long pre-bent piece in a design like this what is the structural purpose of the tail block is it needed? does it provide support for the top? can it be eliminated? has anyone tried this?

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here

Good question Zak, and a timely one too. I was planning my first Uke, and have wood that is long enough for one continuos side. Since it's not holding 2 side pieces together, then it seems a bit superfluous, unless your going to mount a pickup.

On my guitars I chamfer the top and bottom of the end block so that the contact point is the same width as the lining, otherwise you have the potential of the shape of the block telegraphing through the top and sometimes the back plate. Does it provide stability to the instrument other than holding the sides together and a convenient place to put an end pin. Better minds than mine M8.

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
Facebook
Cairns, Australia

the kit I am building right now was one side(the top) chamfered but the bottom is full width I just figured if you use one peice that is one more thing weighing you down and could be dropped out of the design. of course you would have to hand bend it I dont think that would be a candidate for fox bending

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here

Well when it comes to guitars, the tail block has several purposes. One is to support the weight of the guitar via the endpin. A uke may not be heavy enough to warrent that big of a tail block, but what would you drill the end pin into? The block should be at least as deep as the end pin. It also does add some strutural integrity to the guitar as well as allowing a place to glue 2 piece sides.

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Joe

Uke I am not sure it would be such a big issue but in general on guitars the tail block adds rigidity laterally across grain of the but end of the lower bout, the end that gets the most handling abuse. With out it I would suspect that the risk of cave-in and cracking would be greatly increased.

Thanks Michael thats what I was looking for.

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here