verhoevenc Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 Hey, I was wondering if anyone has one of those fret slotting miter boxes that stewmac sells that they're looking to get rid of? (maybe you've upgraded and it's just sitting around?). Cause honestly I can't begin thinking of paying in excess of $80 from stewmac to get a miter/saw/25" scale template. So yeah, get back to me if you got one to sell. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 Make one, my fret saw is a dovetail saw with the kerf sanded down to .023" I have a very crude mitre box I made.(I'll post pictures if I get time tomorrow) I'm in the process of machining a better on from aluminum and brass. (If anyone wants the solidworks plans for it let me know) My point is if you can build a guitar you can build a mitrebox with a little practice and thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 If you've got some basic metalworking skills, you could, I guess. Me, I'm just as happy to pay for a tool that'll last me. The mitre box lets you accurately adjust depth of cut (with a backed saw), and tightly track the blade, and the new stainless steel templates mean no chance of breaking them, ever, and they're accurate. I don't like StewMac's saw, though; currently using a big japanese crosscut blade, and loving it. Look at it this way: a pre-slotted fretboard costs about 15-20 dollars more than an unslotted 'board (if not more, depending on where you get your fingerboard blanks from). 4-8 instruments down the line, the setup has paid for itself. Of course, the ideal is a template, a home-made sled and a table saw. But anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted November 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 Yeah, I know, but being that this is my 2nd instrument only... and I'm not done with the first yet (needs fretting and finishing) and only halfway with the current one, whether it pays for itself 8 guitars down the line is little consequence to me cause that'll be YEARS from now at the current rate I work (with college and all). Another reason why I'm looking for a used one. But yeah, the reason I want one isn't cause I wanna save money down the line, it's cause I wanna do things like this: Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted November 7, 2005 Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 I am a huge advocate of getting a blade for a table saw or radial arm or compound slider, but if you absolutely can't go that way. One option is to buy a saw locally with the correct kerf (they cost about $6), you build a simple miter box and screw metal guides on each side. It should cost about $15 in parts. It just takes some time and care to make. You can print out your fret layout 1-1 and glue it to the top of the board then use that as your template. This takes a bit oftime to set up but works. When you ae done it will take 30-45 minutes per. board and is tedious at best. A circular saw setup will take about 3-5 minutes per. board and is not tedious at all. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 7, 2005 Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 For the record: hand-sawing a board takes me 10-15 minutes, depending on the wood in question, cut by hand, using StewMac's mitre saw and a locally bought japanese handsaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted November 7, 2005 Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 For the record: hand-sawing a board takes me 10-15 minutes, depending on the wood in question, cut by hand, using StewMac's mitre saw and a locally bought japanese handsaw. ← Mattia, 10-15 min. (about 30 sec. a slot) is possible with a great hand saw and a well tuned miter set up. It takes longer using a custom made box and printed templates(from my experience.). For the record: with the sled or radial arm style set up. You can slot 4-6 boards at a time in about 3 or 4 min. (about 10 sec. average), type of wood makes no difference. Really when it comes down to it it is not about speed though, its all about accurate and clean/cosistent slots. A well tuned miter box offers the this. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 7, 2005 Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 Rich, I'll switch to a power saw setup the moment I get a saw that's good enough/accurate enough to equal the hand-cut boards. Right now, seeing as I build (at the utmost) 3 guitars per year, 45 minutes on an annual basis (as opposed to 3-4) isn't going to break the bank. This said, seeing as I do have the cash, if I had the space for a good saw, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted November 7, 2005 Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 Rich, I'll switch to a power saw setup the moment I get a saw that's good enough/accurate enough to equal the hand-cut boards. Right now, seeing as I build (at the utmost) 3 guitars per year, 45 minutes on an annual basis (as opposed to 3-4) isn't going to break the bank. This said, seeing as I do have the cash, if I had the space for a good saw, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. ← It's totally sensable to go with what works. What you have now works great, and like you said time is just not an issue. If a guy was just setting up and allready had a saw that would handle the job. It is pretty close to the same cost to go with a blade and shooting board, compaired to a good quality miter and hand saw. In that case it makes sense to go for the shooting board to start with. I invested in a hand set up and then went to the blade. I just wish I had gone with the blade and had not wasted money and effort on the hand saw method(but thats only my situation, others may be different). Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted November 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2005 still got that hand set up?! cause this post WAS sabout me wanted to buy a used one.. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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