Making A Fretboard

[al heeley]

Making a fretboard, what do you do first?

a) Plane to radius

b.) slot for frets

c) trim edges to size?

[erikbojerik]

Making a fretboard, what do you do first?

a) Plane to radius

b.) slot for frets

c) trim edges to size?

a) make it perfectly square

plane to thickness and draw centerline top & back

c) radius and re-draw centerline

d) slot

e) cut taper

f) fret off the neck

g) glue onto neck

Sometimes I will slot before radiusing the board, but then might have to deepen the slots.

The schedule is different for a bound fretboard.

[al heeley]

Ah, this one will be bound - which i have not done before. I take it the routing and binding has to take place before the frets are hammered in?

[carousel182]

Is their a definnite order you have to do this in. First i plane it cut it and thickness it so i have a squared rectuangluar piece of whatever wood thats 21x1/4thx2 3/8. Then i slot it. Then i inlay the front dots. after that i cut the taper. Then i glue it to the neck. Then I radius it. Then i do the side dots, then I fret it.

[al heeley]

If you do the inlays first and they are quite thin, is there a danger of planing all the way thru them when you do the radiussing? (esp. if they are not centred inlays)

When do you do the fretboard binding?

[RGman]

If you do the inlays first and they are quite thin, is there a danger of planing all the way thru them when you do the radiussing?

Sure, but if they aren't centered i would set them deeper to account for the radius.

[ihocky2]

I would route the inlay recess while the board is flat and then radius is some before gluing in the inlay if you are worried about sanding through it. You can get close to the final shape of the board and then cut deeper if you need to for the inlay. But at least you have the shape to guide you which is easier that working on a radiused board.

[scab]

woa! I don't know how you guys do your radius' and inlays before you taper! that just sounds crazy ;P..

1) take the bottom of the fingerboard to the edge sander and sand it completely flat

2) then sand to thickness

2.5) edge sand one side to make flat

3) cut taper (on side that isn't flat )

4) slot frets

5) glue binding on

6) then radius (if doin' step 7 then just make it rough.. doesn't have to be perfect)

7) inlay (you don't want to do this before you radius b/c you could run into the risk of sanding through the sides.. plus by this time you can insure yourself that you're inlay will be absolutely centered on the frets )

Hope this helps.. sorry to disagree w/ everyone on the tapering and radius'.. i'm just stating how i do things

Good Luck!

Scab

Edited January 15, 2008 by scab