madhattr88 Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) i did a search, but couldn't find the info i need. i'm out of money (for now), but i'm ready to level the fingerboard (not fretted yet) and the nut isn't attached yet. i know stew-mac sells long pieces of steel/aluminum for levelling, but they are $50 or more...ouch. what's a poor man's way of doing this? i do not have any steel or aluminum blocks laying around, i do have a wooden 12" radius block, but its only 4" long. any ideas??? what do you guys do? thanks! matt Edited January 23, 2008 by madhattr88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 I use a carpenters level with sandpaper stuck to it. Failing that, a piece of timber run over a jointer is perfectly functional for levelling a fretboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 I use a steel box section I bought from the DIY store. I just made sure it wasn't bent or twisted by sighting down the corners before buying. Same method as Setch. DST and sandpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. pierce Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 I found some good pieces at the scrapyard - extruded aluminum channel and such. Had to poke around the piles with a straightedge until I found something straight enough for me, but I got a four-foot piece of aluminum channel, about the size of a two-by-four, for a few dollars. Works great, and makes a decent clamping caul, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhattr88 Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 I found some good pieces at the scrapyard - extruded aluminum channel and such. Had to poke around the piles with a straightedge until I found something straight enough for me, but I got a four-foot piece of aluminum channel, about the size of a two-by-four, for a few dollars. Works great, and makes a decent clamping caul, too. can u guys explain what u do afterwards..i mean, do u use double-stick tape and a long piece of sandpaper? do u have to push down while sanding, or just slide it back and forth? how long of a block is needed? wouldn't longer be better? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 My steel box section is longer than the fretboard by about a foot. It's about 1-1/2" wide. I use double sided tape (DST) to attach strips of 240 grit along the length. Pressing down just serves to wear out your frets and your stick unevenly. Mark and scuff your frets with the sanding stick evenly otherwise you'll end up with uneven frets. If a a very small number of frets are higher than the others then it's better to level them individually else you'll end up sanding out the height of your good frets. Pop to Stewmac and buy a book on fret repair....it's an investment and a real eye-opener! Plus books are cheaper than their tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhattr88 Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 My steel box section is longer than the fretboard by about a foot. It's about 1-1/2" wide. I use double sided tape (DST) to attach strips of 240 grit along the length. Pressing down just serves to wear out your frets and your stick unevenly. Mark and scuff your frets with the sanding stick evenly otherwise you'll end up with uneven frets. If a a very small number of frets are higher than the others then it's better to level them individually else you'll end up sanding out the height of your good frets. Pop to Stewmac and buy a book on fret repair....it's an investment and a real eye-opener! Plus books are cheaper than their tools. i think i should have explained myself better...i'm not levelling frets, i'm leveling the fingerboard BEFORE i fret it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 Oops...short memory...same thing applies though really. Use a straightedge to ascertain the high and low spots, then level it with the same tool with a slightly coarser grit like 180 or whatever suits the piece. A china marker is good for showing any uneveness as you sand. Again, if you're knocking down a high spot, be careful you're not sanding down other parts when dealing with that area otherwise it becomes like whack-a-mole :-D A good stick or bar is a better tool than most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 (edited) I use a carpenters level with sandpaper stuck to it. Failing that, a piece of timber run over a jointer is perfectly functional for levelling a fretboard. Hope the jointer is a good one but I agree with the Level and PSA paper choice. This will work for both fingerboard and frets. If you need to buy the level site down the edge of several and see which one looks best. I would stick with an aluminum level, not wood or plastic. You can also plane the edge of a board if you have some skill with a hand plane. really anything flat you can stick paper too will work and you want to make short strokes on the board, the flat edge with paper should never leave the board. The length is as people have said longer but not too long, a 24" level will work on a guitar and is probably a standard size in any hardware store. You also don't have to put paper across the whole face only what you need for the job. Thus saving some additional money. This assumes you dont have any hardware attached or you will have to pick an end and remove some. A flat surface and PSA sand paper is the short answer. I think someone used glass but I cant cut glass that thin nor have I tried. Also a level will allow paper on two sides with different grits as will the I bar suggestion. I think there is no wrong answer here as long as its flat. Edited January 24, 2008 by Woodenspoke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 You can always use Elmers Rubber cement or 3M spray adhesive for regular sand paper to stick them to your new blocks. In the past I have made a block sander from scraps of guitar body wood. When you are finished cutting the body stand the wing scraps on end and laminate them into a nice 3-4" piece of wood. You can also make a sander from a thick scrap of Lexan/Acrylic and a block of wood for a Handle. Use some sheetrock screws and counter sink them into the handle. _______ |______| _____________ L L Got an old guitar neck? Rip out the frets, Glue some 80 grit sand paper to it, sand the bottom of your Guitar wood scrap into a matching radius. It is not ideal and if you have the money buy something nice but it works on a budget. If you have time http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=32216 http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=25182 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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