The neck block is essentially just a mortise that is fixed into the correct position inside the top end of the guitar (at least in the style of neck-fitting I'm going for with this build). Some would say that the best mortise is one that has been cut from a single block of wood, taking the laborious time to chew - er, I mean gently carve - the notch by hand. Well, I'd like to do that, but my tools are limited. I chose to construct the block out of sections. This had the advantage of giving me the opportunity to ensure that the side pieces of the mortise were exactly where they needed to be to accept the tenon perfectly.
Didn't get pics, but I cut the side pieces first and clamped them tightly against the sides of the tenon. I then glued the end piece onto the sides, to create the semi-box shape. After that dried, I removed it from the tenon and glued the bottom piece on. The bottom is maple, the same maple the back will be made from.
Test fitting is always a good idea. I used small clamps to hold the mortise directly under the slot I cut for the neck join on the guitar top. The neck slid down nicely into place, and when I checked for alignment I saw that the neck was directly in line with the centre line of the guitar. Yay me!! The only issue was the angle of the neck in relation to the plane view, which is ever-so-slightly off. This isn't really an issue, however, as I have to carve down the receptacle for the neck overhang anyway. I will just keep in mind that I have to fine-tune the level on either side of the mortise and tenon.
But, hey!, it's starting to look like a guitar!
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