Neck Block Materials

[ThomasDBryant]

Just wondering but what kind of woods do ya'll use for neck blocks. I know general consensus is probably Honduran Mahogany, especially amongst Siminoff fans, but what other options are usable without compromising neck joint integrity?

[Jim Hilburn]

I once used basswood on a blonde so the transition down in the scroll wasn't as apparent. seemed to have worked out OK.

[sunburst]

For a head block we want:

-dimensional stability
-good gluing properties
-easy to carve/shape (especially if using a dovetail neck joint)
-strength
-low density

Any wood that has those properties to at least some degree is OK for a head block.
I use Paulownia tomentosa because it has all of the above properties. At one time or another I've used mahogany, basswood, butternut, walnut, poplar and cherry (that I can remember). Mahogany is easily the easiest to work with in a head block, poplar and cherry the most difficult.

[HoGo]

Basswood (at least european) can be too soft nad easy to split, but willow or aspen could be OK. I've used european walnut for most my mandolins (mahogany doesn't grow here) and on one I used maple. Since majority of work is done with bandsaw there's not much difference in working with the harder woods to me.

[amowry]

I've used both Spanish cedar and khaya as well. Spanish cedar is nice and light but can be a little too soft for my taste. It's used for guitar necks a lot.

[billhay4]

What about laminated blocks? This eliminates the stability issue.
Bill

[HoGo]

What about laminated blocks? This eliminates the stability issue.
Bill

What issue? It is pretty large block of clear seasoned wood. I haven't seen any good quality block with staibility problems. There's no real reason to laminate the blocks. I used two-layer blocks on few mandolins because I cut them on CNC and I couldn't cut deeper than 20mm.
Only if it is built from unseasoned wood or the instrument badly neglected. And in such cases laminations (with alrernating grain direction) can create problems with alignment and gluing of possible cracks.

[buckhorn]

I use mostly mahogany for all blocks and points.. It's hard to find it in thickness to make solid blocks.. So I started cross graining 3/4 inch materials , and have done so for a long time.. lots of glue and good clamps.. never had any problems..

[HoGo]

I forgot to mention that when I used laminated blocks I glued them with same grain direction (if the neck joint splits when mandolin falls it is easier to glue back together) and used strong epoxy so the block would be water resistant if the dovetail ever needs steaming apart.
BTW, there used to be a trend among violin restorers to use soundpost top patches slightly rotated (one or two grain lines) supposedly to make the repair stronger but later they found out that if that area ever breaks again (and that happens) the break is fuzzy mess of interlocking grain direction and almost impossible to glue back cleanly so now most of them won't rotate the patch anymore.

[Richard500]

I use mostly mahogany for all blocks and points.. It's hard to find it in thickness to make solid blocks.. So I started cross graining 3/4 inch materials , and have done so for a long time.. lots of glue and good clamps.. never had any problems..

A source of thick, extremely well-seasoned mahogany that builders might not know about is sand-casting patterns. When the foundry that cast our products was closing (as nearly all of them did), they asked if I wanted our patterns. Practice in that business was that the foundry retained ownership of patterns, so they had vast stocks, and mahogany was a favored wood. Of course the salvage and decorator people grabbed tons when these items were sort of fashionable. I picked up all of ours because we might need them, and if not, were nice pieces of wood. As wall art, ours were not interesting.

[ThomasDBryant]

I figured mahogany would be the most popular material. Where do yall source your mahohany from? I found a few suppliers but most dont have the recommended size or thickness. Also how do yall prefer to season your woods?

[j. condino]

Hard to find mahogany big enough for mandolin parts?????????????? I use it for double basses where the neck block is 9" thick and I don't have any issues finding it...

If you listed your location, we could probably offer up a supplier near your. If you pass through Asheville, visit Scrounger's Paradise. They regularly stock it in beams up to 5" thick x 14" wide x 20 foot long and lots of small sizes. I have a solid beam that is 5" thick x 24" wide x 14 foot long that I've been saving for a special project. I bought it for $300 off craigslist.

As mentioned above, anything that is well seasoned, dimensionally stable, and medium density is fine. Of all the places I stress about woods, the neck block is not one of them.

[John Bertotti]

Just curious is anyone is using cedar as blocks? I remember years ago someone saying they picked cedar because of the smell inside the body when they used it. I'm sure that was tongue in cheek to some extent, no one will sacrifice stability for the smell of all things.

[HoGo]

If you mean thuja plicata (WRC) it is way to soft and easy to split for neck block. You can use it for other blocks though. Yelow cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis) is a bit harder and less splitty but I would not use it for neck block either. Port orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is probably the one with pleasant smell but again softer that I would like for neck block...

[John Bertotti]

If you mean thuja plicata (WRC) it is way to soft and easy to split for neck block. You can use it for other blocks though. Yelow cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis) is a bit harder and less splitty but I would not use it for neck block either. Port orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is probably the one with pleasant smell but again softer that I would like for neck block...

Apologies I miss typed I meant linings, not blocks. And it might just be fuzzy memory but i was fairly certain some one told me they used it becasue it smelled so good inside the instrument.

[Dale Ludewig]

I built a guitar last year with a Port Orford cedar neck and top. From my little experience with it, it should be fine for body blocks and lining. I don't know if I'd trust it for a neck block on a mandolin.