Radiusing Frets Instead Of Fretboard

[solomon684]

What if instead of going through the tedious process of radiusing a fretboard (I do it by hand and it takes forever), you just keep the board flat and radius the frets with a block and sandpaper one they're on the fretboard? Obviously this wouldn't be a good idea with a small radius and small frets since it would take a lot off from the edges, but if your using jumbo frets and a 20", or maybe 16" radius, could something like this work? If its possible, you could level the frets and add the radius at the same time, and in less time

[Mender]

I think in this is a case where a picture would show you the problem.

The black curved line is a 16" radius and 45mm wide. The straight red line is 1mm thick, much the same thickness as a jumbo fret. As you can see, before you even get the fret to a 16" radius, you would be down to the wood at the ends of the frets. Even on a 20" radius you would hit the wood before you had the fret radius complete.

Edited May 2, 2010 by Mender

[solomon684]

Nice job with the math, just proved my idea impossible

[Woodenspoke]

Nice job with the math, just proved my idea impossible

Not impossible if you want to make your own fret wire. It takes me 10 minutes to radius a board by hand, I dont think that is such a long time.

[avengers63]

It takes me 10 minutes to radius a board by hand, I dont think that is such a long time.

It has taken me much longer than that, but that was with some super-hard rosewoods. I've recently done it in under 5 minutes with some flamed maple. None of that invalidates the point: it's not such a time consuming process that it's worth working around.

[Mender]

Not impossible if you want to make your own fret wire

I remember seeing a home made guitar many years ago that had a flat fretboard, but radiused frets. The frets were not the normal frets with tangs, they were brass/nickel alloy, about 1.5mm wide. They were solid metal bars with a constant thickness all the way through, so the fret slots were 1.5mm wide. Obviously, the height above the fretboard must have started off more than 2mm high, then radiused, so the fret centers were very high and the ends were more or less normal fret height. It felt rather strange when playing, like a cross between a conventional and a scalloped board. Not exactly what I would like to play on a regular basis for chords, but probably fine for a lot of lead work.

[solomon684]

Nice job with the math, just proved my idea impossible

Not impossible if you want to make your own fret wire. It takes me 10 minutes to radius a board by hand, I dont think that is such a long time.

How does it take you only 10 minutes to radius a board by hand, do you have a jig or something to help? Im using 60 grit on some indian rosewood, and set up some rails to keep it in a straight line (which aren't too sturdy, so I still have to radius pretty slowly or the rails move), and its still taking me pretty long

[ihocky2]

I only use a radius block with 60 grit paper and it only takes me about 5-10 minutes to cut in the initial radius. To make sure it's flat and shine it up to 2000 grit takes longer though.

Mender: that kind of sounds like bar frets which were used on classical guitars a long time ago, before modern fabrication techniques.

[Mender]

...

Mender: that kind of sounds like bar frets which were used on classical guitars a long time ago, before modern fabrication techniques.

Yes, exactly the same, but it's the only home made solid electric guitar I've seen like that. I suppose, as it was made in the 1960s, obtaining conventional fret wire in Cornwall (always 20 years behind the rest of the UK) would have been a tricky job. When I started making guitars in the 1970s, it was pretty much impossible to get after market fret wire, pickups and machine heads etc in Cornwall. I had to buy my supplies from a couple of dealers in London.

[Metalhead28]

How does it take you only 10 minutes to radius a board by hand, do you have a jig or something to help? Im using 60 grit on some indian rosewood, and set up some rails to keep it in a straight line (which aren't too sturdy, so I still have to radius pretty slowly or the rails move), and its still taking me pretty long

It's about 10 minutes tops for me too. As long as you're careful getting started, the radius block pretty much guides itself.

I use a really large radius block, and I've recently started clamping the block down and moving the neck across it instead of the other way around. It seems easier to move the neck in a straight line. That may just be me....

[soapbarstrat]

Ok, so sanding a radius onto a piece of wood is tedious, but recrowning the flattest ground down fret-tops ever seen, not so tedious ?

Back-track when you bought your sandpaper. At one point, did you walk through a doorway underneath what looked like a sign with the words 'Harbor' and 'Freight' ?

[RDub]

I use a Plane to carefully approach the radius, then finish off with the blocks and 100 grit. Real quick if you pay attention with the plane.