Heel Block

[chani]

I am building small auditorium sized acoustic guiatar. I have a block of spanish cedar I would like to use as the heel block. It is 3" wide x 1 7/8" thick x 4" high. The question is, is the block thick enough? Is the block big enough to support the neck?

[Myka Guitars]

If you are doing a dovetail my rule of thumb is to make the block twice as thick as the dovetailed tenon. This way you will have plenty of support for the joint. If you are going to use a bolt on system I have had success with as little as 3/4" thick.

1-7/8" should be plenty thick for either method. The width of 3" is fine. The height is dependant on the depth of the body you are designing.