jay5 Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 I have decided that I would like to try slotting my own fingerboards. I figure in the long run it will be cheaper and it is somthing I would like to learn. Plus my local Woodcraft stocks 3"X 20ish"X 1/4" pieces of hardwood (about 10 kinds I could actually use) and they run about $8 a piece. I have read on the MIMF forum that the Stewmac fret saw is junk. I also dont feel like paying that much for their miter box either. So my question is, what saws do you all use and has anyone made their own miter box for slotting? I am pretty confident I could do this but I am curious as to any input on a design. Thanks to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 Stew Mac's fret saw junk??? I never would have thought that of any of their tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACSpike Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 When I made my guitar back in '96 I had the idea that I wanted to do a bunch of microtonal fretboards. I didn't want to restrict myself to standard fretplacement rulers, so my father and I built a mitrebox fretslotting jig with a threaded rod down the middle to move the fretboard. As far as I can remember it worked pretty well, but that was a while back and I haven't used it since. I have some pictures online here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 WWW, I was shocked when I heard that about their saws too ACspike, that is a cool idea. Thanks for the pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 So far I have only bought fingerboards preslotted, since I had no idea how many I would make. A month ago I was at a local hardwood store and they had various prepackaged wood that had four pieces that was 1/4" thick, 24" long and 3" wide for only 23 dollars. So that got me to thinking if I'm gonna do this for a long time, I might as well get a way to slot my own, but I don't think I want to go with the miter box method. I'd rather have a blade like Stew Mac sells that cuts a .023" kerf for you. They are high but should last a very, very long time. Check out the following link... Stew Mac's custom blade You will need a good Fret Scale template so that you can cut it out precise every time. Here's a link of Wayne Charvel using a radial arm saw with a similar blade to cut out a fretboard in no time flat. Click on this workshop link and chose the third one down on the left called, Sawing a guitar neck and fretboard to watch the video. You will see why I'm thinking this would be the best and fastest method for slotting frets. Now I just got to get enough money for that blade, or find some company that sells the same kind somewhere. Does anyone know of a place that sells something similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 Frenzy, they have some great videos on that site! I was also contemplating that method but I dont have a table saw or radial arm saw. I am also leary of the power behind some power tools, especially on a 1/4" piece of wood I was looking around and LMI sells a Japanese pull saw that will cut a .023" kerf on the pull stroke, although I cant actually find out how much it is on the site. It got pretty good praise over on the MIMF forum. My only reason for wanting a miter box was for the extra control. It would allow me to make sure my cuts were perfectly perpendicular to the face of the board as well as square to one side. The LMI box looks like it has some nice design features; http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts....Slotting+System I want to get some of that plastic that you can get for jigs and such for the areas that contact the blade. I think it will allow for a smoother cut and less wear on the saw. http://www.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/product...FE6177244E54BDC Check out this link, this is the wood I found at my local dealer. Some of the woods are a little more than $8 but they have some nice stuff. Bolivian rosewood is $8, purpleheart is $7. The ones at the actual Woodcraft I went to were really nice pieces. I saw them from about 10 feet away and was like "Hey, those are fretboards!" http://www.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/dept.as...FE6177244E54BDC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 I also found these pieces that are perfect for fret boards jay. At my local Woodcraft store none the less ! You wouldn't happen to be in the Triangle area of NC would you ? (If you are, I had better get down to Wodcrafters and buy up all of these blanks before you get to them ! ) I have been toying with the idea of slotting my own fret boards too. Just haven't decided whether to invest the money in a full setup like Stewart-Mac sells of try to make my own. I haven't been able to find a pull saw locally yet with a .023" kerf. I did find a Japanese pull saw at one local woodworking shop that I think had a kerf of .024". I would think that would be close enough for Stewart-Mac fret wire. I could make a miter box, and I would think that a really good 3' metal ruler that measures down to 64ths of an inch would be sufficient for measuring the spacing, but I haven't really looked for one of those yet. As I am only now in the middle of my very first build from scratch, I'm not in a big hurry to move on to that level quite yet. But you never know. I have already made a set of four radius sanding blocks (10", 12", 14" and 16") so I could radius the blanks to what ever I want, even a compound radius. I'm like you, I figured for $8-$10, each, I could afford to make a couple of mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 Wow. I sure hope LMIIs is better than StewMacs. There quite a price-gap there. For the small amount of boards I'm slotting I just got the StewMac backsaw and use the jig in the Hiscock book (slightly modified). http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...t=0#entry135659 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 Fender, believe it or not I am in the Triangle! Cary to be exact. Thats funny Leave me a few to mess up if you dont mind Like you said the cost of the Stewmac setup was my main issue in starting this earlier but I am confident that I could come up with some form of miter box that would work. I too havent been able to find an adequet saw locally either. How did you make your radiusing blocks? I was going to try the router jig method next weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 I've done 3 fretboards now and the slots on two 1-piece necks using the StewMac saw and miter box. I had absolutely no issues with it. It can be a little fiddly to set the depth, but when you use the templates it goes pretty quick (15 minutes?). Without the templates, it would take me at least that long to measure the slots, draw them out on the board, then check them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 Erik, I am sure that the Stewmac stuff will do the job, I just dont want to spend the money on somthing I think I might be able to build. Im glad you have had success, hopefully I will be able to do the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 Yep, I understand. I just wanted to counter the notion that the StewMac saw was crappy. I've never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 Hey jay ! Small world huh ? I think there will probably be enough of the blanks at Woodcrafters to go around ! You know if we start buying enough of them and keep going in and asking when they will have more and maybe even asking for different exotic woods in these blanks they are likely to start carrying more of them. You how it is in business, you stock what sells, right. I have looked at the Stewart-Mac fretting saw setup too, and I would love to have it. I am sure it would work just fine. I like you am just trying to ease into this hobby without huge expenditures of money. If I can get by building my own tools or jigs, then thats the way I'm going to go. I used the same router jig method you are talking about to make my radius sanding blocks and it worked pretty well. I'm sure my blocks are not exact or perfect but they're pretty close and for now I think that will be good enough. By the way, if we get enough people here in the Triangle area we could start up our own little group to meet and compare guitars and share tips and helpful hints. I am located around the Garner area myself. I am in the process of my first from scratch build and its going pretty well so far. I just fitted the tremolo last night. I now have to do the inlay dots, fretting and shape the back of the neck. Then I have to cut the peghead down to final shape and drill the holes for the tuners. Then drill all of the holes for the pickguard and tremolo cavity cover and I will be ready to start doing my final sanding and preparing for the finishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 I'm about an hour and a half away from the Triad. I'm assuming you mean Winston Salem/Greensboro area? I don't go down there much anymore, but I'd probably come down if you ever decided to get a few people together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 Hey Stones ! Actually I meant the "Triangle" area. You know, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill. So really, depending on which direction you are (about 1 1/2 hours from the Triad, you might be close to me and jay too ! But since you said you don't "go DOWN there much anymore" I suspect you are somewhere closer to the mountains in the western part of the state. It is still really cool to see that there are some fellow Luthier buffs in the immediate area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 I'm in the very southern part of VA. Really near Eden. It really only takes an hour to get to Greensboro. I think Raleigh is something like 2 and a half hours away or something. I haven't been in so long I don't remember, though. I normally go north (farther into VA) instead of south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 It would be great to get a group of local luthiers together! I was actuall wondering if there were any professionals in the area. There is a violin maker in downtown Raleigh that I want to pay a visit to. I was impressesed that woodcraft had the selection they had. I am sure if we asked for certain things they would accomidate. they were pretty helpful when I was there. I was hoping to find some wood suitable for neck blanks. I am limited in my tool inventory so the closest I can get to workable dimensions the better. I might ask them about that next trip. I am making sketches for a miter box. I should have something design-wise in a few days. Well see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 Mornin' jay ! What I did was purchase my wood from Capitol City Lumber on Beryl Rd. in Raleigh. They sell Hard Maple and Ash in S2S. I bought one piece of Maple that was 4" W x 1" T x 36" L, and one piece of Ash that was 7" W x 2" T x 48" L. I had them cut the single Ash plank into 2 24" long pieces. (You can also get hardoods at Raleigh Hardwood Center, but I have not been there as yet. Wood crafters carries hardwood in S2S and I think S4S, but most of what I saw was only 1" stock, which would work for neck blanks, but you would need something a little bigger for body blanks.) Like you, I am severely limited in the tool department, but I got lucky. There is a retired gentleman that lives about 4 miles up the road from me and he has a very nice woodworking shop out behind his house. He builds bookcases and desks and various other items to sell. I stopped in and introduced myself to him and asked if he would be willing do some contract work for me on a pay as I go basis. He was great and said that he had people come in all the time asking him to cut this or build that and he had no problem doing it. And, he simply charges $9.00 per hour for the work. I had him join the two pieces of Ash and laminate them together for me and when that was ready I got him to plane it down to my 1 3/4" thickness. I also had him plane my Maple to 13/16" for my neck blank and join one edge of my Maple to give me a good straight edge to work from. This guy has 20" Grizzly planer and every other imaginable tool for woodworking. This worked out great and I plan to go up and show him my guitar when it is done to let him see what he was actually doing to help me out. I will also have him do more work for me in the future. If you need some work like this done on any of your projects, let me know and I can hook you up with him. Win/win for everybody huh ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 Fender, that sounds like a sweet deal you have going! I may take you up on the offer in the future. I will definately have to check out Capital City Lumber. Thanksd for the heads up. How much did you pay for the ash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 I can't remeber how much the Ash and the Maple were seperately, but both pieces together only cost me $24.00 and some change. Very reasonable if you ask me. Especially when you consider that Warmoth and USACG and Stewart-Mac all want in $50.00 - $70.00 range for their body blanks alone. Granted they are S4S and planed to the correct thickness, but like you said, I found a sweet deal with my neighbor up the road to do that for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catnine Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Hi , I'm new here and just found this forum . I started makeing my own guitars in 1983 with minimal tools and not much in the way of hardwood sources . I made my first fret saw out of an exacto 2 inch tall blade and filed away some of the kurf to get the proper tang size .021 inch . for a fingerboard I used a sort of rosewood called spelling? seduea . I made the board flate on one side and then the other to a total of 1/4 " and made one side straight for a guide edge , then hand marked all the fret spacing with a sharp pencil and good steel ruler and for a miter box I made a wooden square out of maple and clamped this one sided box to the board and cut the slots pressing thr blade against the maple , and I cut all the slots a bit deeper than the tang , next I marked a centerline and then the marker dots , 1/4" round from a broken abalone ashtray , filled flat and then clamped them in an old 1/4 shaft micometer to file them to the round size . Then I cut the taper from the nut to heel and pinned it and glued it to the neck blank . next I planed the radius and saned it to 12 " using a homemade block similar to a spokeshave including handles , but I did have to recut the slots since the edges were now thinner , I taped a strip of brass stock to the balde and cut the slots leaving them with a bottom to match the 12" radius , I wanted as much wood I could keep under the frets and no side gaps to fill , this all worked out fine and I still do it this way but with a better saw , still a hardware brand backsaw with a fine cut and re kurfed teeth , I do thing a saw that cuts on the pull would be better and I liked the stewmac design but have not gotten one as yet . I am building another strat and this time since all the two hardwood shops have vanished from LA calif I went online to stew mac and got the maple neck blank stock and a 25 1/2 inch rosewood fingerboard preslotted , but their boards are of a stright bottomed cut and have a 12" RADIUS . The problem with this is the fet slots are not 90 degrees to either side of the board so finding the centerline was a project , I don't know how they cut the slots but it can't be off the edges of the board , both edges are with a inward bow at the center . and I don't lime the slots with straight bottoms but I will use the board and live with it , plus the hotrod truss rod is new to me , I did'nt like the idea of no filler wood above the rod so I routed it a 16th deeper to keep the glue out of the rod channel , I did order the martin style rod one way for back bow adjustment in a U channel and I am making a second neck with this and my own board just in case this one does not turn out as planned . What I really wanted to say is , you can make a fine guitar body and neck with alot less in tools than one would imagine I had a smoothing plane , a small two finger cheapo block plane , some files and a router and a homemade fret saw and alot of patience and determination , oh yes and the ever useful coping saw and a electric drill and that's it . I still prefer to do most of all the work using hand tools , I have more control and all of my guitars are 15 years old or older and all have never needed and neck adjustment once , I also prefer to pick out my own wood , flat sawn to me is with all of the grain close to flat with a slight curve , not as the ones I got from stewmac cut with the grain on a 45 for a two piece slab fender neck . and I could find alder , enough for a two piece body for 15 dollars and a neck blank 1 inch thick flatsawn for 6 dollars now this is not the case . One last thing , stewmac has some good products and great service I am just very picky and you don't get to choose your wood and all the slotted fingerboards are 22 fret , now I have to cut a thin strip of the finger board to fill the 22 slot . I don't understand why they don't sell 21 fret boards . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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