Fresh Fret Board

[Brian]

When adding a fresh new fret board to a neck I usually cut it down to size before mounting leaving a little along the edge for final sanding after the fret's have been installed.

What do some of the rest of you do?

My method so far has been hand cutting along a scroll mark I made. I've been giving thought to trying a router bit but it kind of give's me the willy's thinking it could dig into the maple even with a collar on it.

[DaveK]

Brian:

How about a tutorial on adding a new fretboard????

Dave K

[LGM Guitars]

new fretboard is done same way as this tutorial shows, with the exception of cutting the taper and adding frets

Board removal

board replacement

[DaveK]

This may be a dumb question...

I have always heard that dractic tempature change & moisture would warp guitar necks beyond repair

That being said, would this method cause warping & damage to the neck?

Thanks,

Dave

[Brian]

It is possible if you leave the neck itself seperated from the fret board and moisture is absorbed through the freshly exposed wood (over an extended period).

You'll have to remember the neck was under a lot of stress being strung up and having a truss rod keep it in check and with the finger board removed it is now free to move back into a natural position. Hopefully it's natural postion was straight to begin with but certain woods and cuts can cup, warp or twist if not handled correctly.

More than likely though you really shouldn't experance a problem.

[Jehle]

new fretboard is done same way as this tutorial shows, with the exception of cutting the taper and adding frets

Board removal

board replacement

For other projects around the house, I've used rubber bands (more like in a chain for a rubber string) to clamp items. Each wrap of a rubber band applies more pressure, and it wouldn't risk denting the wood. You can build up pressure quickly (exponentially) with rubber bands.

I also have about a million rubber bands from the newspapers too. It seemed a shame to throw them out...

So, for glueing a new fretboard, it seems that a "rubber string" method would be perfect to clamp the wood while the glue dries. You wouldn't risk denting the wood, and you could just wrap the puppy up until the glue seeps out of the join.

Any thoughts?

[Dave M]

I cut it fairly close with a band saw, then use a hand plane to shave it down. Much more control for me than a router. (Probably because I use planes a lot more than routers though) Final touchups are done with a cabinet scraper.

Then I install the frets, ding it all up, and gouge it out, while smoothing the ends of the frets, and generally trash it. :o

I think I'm gonna build a fretless next

Dave