Heel shaping ideas and process

Posted by 14 buck bass (aka antonio) on March 26, 2015 at 12:35pm

hello all , ive been making quite a few necks, and experimenting with different heel shapes and shaping teqhniques. Im interested in how others do it so I can get a broader perspective on how its done out there . my biggest bummer is most of the necks i do are two pieces of 3/4 inch x 1 1/2 glued together for the neck and body/heel portion. and when done shaping the heel there will remain a thin glue line .

Also please post up procedure pics if available thanks in advance .

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Replies

  • The Phrygian Kid April 20, 2015 at 6:59am

    sometimes the best way to hide a glue line...

    is to turn it into a feature.

    drop a 20c scrap of veneer in there ;)

    a bit of matching fingerboard scrap works nice too...

    edit oh snap, you're all saying that lol

  • Michael Fred Johnson April 20, 2015 at 5:57am

    You can also do a traditional style heel like these using rasp,files and sandpaper306441765?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024306442534?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

  • 14 buck bass (aka antonio) March 31, 2015 at 12:24am
    thanks guys, Richey yup it looks like we do ours the same way. i think my slope is just to steep for my taste , it definatly is personal prefrerance cause, like mentioned bailing wire and broomsticks work just fine. Scott thanks for the info , and Richey thanks for the pics too. Kudos to both you gents fine work on those heels .
  • Scott W March 30, 2015 at 11:32pm
    Thanks Antonio, and nice work Richey. Antonio, if want a different and more gradual transition from neck to heel, just take away more material on your next one. I draw and cut a pattern out of a cereal box cardboard that has the profile I want, then trace that on the SIDE of the heel, and I also make a pattern for the shape of the very bottom of the heel. I rough-cut material away to get a basic shape similar to the pattern lines, then a rasp and file away material to pattern lines. I use just a few round and half-round files. If you do not have one, a 4-in-hand file is really useful and quite cheap, and you get 4 tools!
  • 14 buck bass (aka antonio) March 28, 2015 at 3:21pm
    thanks for the replys guys , I still feel like the heel transition is too steep and dosent blend well with the neck, ?? maybwe its just me .
    • Richey Kay > 14 buck bass (aka antonio) March 28, 2015 at 3:41pm
      I'll post some pics of how I do mine tomorrow morning...
    • Richey Kay > Richey Kay March 29, 2015 at 2:52am

      Ok, as promised, a couple of pictures. Like I said it looks like we make our necks pretty much the same way. I glue 2 pieces from the same length of wood, reversing the grain, the use a mitre box to make a 45 degree cut where the heel will slope down towards the neck. This isn't strictly necessary but as I use rasps to shape the heel it cuts down on time a bit. I then use a half round rasp to fully blend the 2 pieces together, so none of the original outer boundaries of the 2 pieces are visible, if that makes sense?

      306436706?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024306437695?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024...like I said, I can see where the 2 pieces join by looking at the difference in grain pattern, but it doesn't bother me.

    • Richey Kay > Richey Kay March 29, 2015 at 3:01am

      I've also done necks with an offcut from the fretboard between the 2 pieces, like this:

      306438285?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

    • gary sheldon > Richey Kay March 29, 2015 at 11:25am

      Great photo story.  Thanks for that.

  • 14 buck bass (aka antonio) March 28, 2015 at 12:14pm
    http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/20150328-085626 here is a pic of the heel
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