fretboards

Barry Sholder

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my fretboards are not cominh out the way I'd like them. It could perhaps be the sequence that I am building....not sure.
I usually take my blanks and cut all the slots.
Then I rough cut the fingerboard to fit my neck.
I then cut and install the frets
Hit the edges with the belt sander to knock off the sharp edges
Then glue the fingerboard to the neck and final finish.sealing etc.
Do I need to put a finish on the fingerboard before I install the
frets?
Is my sequences all wrong. Seems that if I finish the fingerboard
before fretting and something goes wrong which it usually does, then
finsihing is wasted time.
Is there a better method of installing the frets after the
fingerboard is attached to the neck.
Sorry if I am longwinded on this one but I know I will get good
advice.
One more thing when I fret ebony I find it tougher to do than other
woods. I usually run a triangle needlefile down the slot a couple of
times and also hit the edge of the fret just a little with a
needlefile before pressing in the fret. I tap it to get it started
then press on a drill press. I have also heard of wetting the slot just prior to installing the fret so the wood is soft.
Thanks
 
I have done a grand total of 3 fretboards, so take what I say for what it is. The last board I did was a bound fretboard and turned out really well...

I take my square blank and cut the fret slots. Carefully measure and taper the fretboard. If binding the board, go ahead and bind. Finish sand the top and shoot or sand the sides. fret the board, a set of fret nippers are a must, I got them for my last board and they are worth every penny. I got them at stewmac, but there is a video of how to make your own floating around if you have a grinder.

I do a rough shape on the neck to get it close, then I can position the fretboard on the neck and if there is a 1/32" or so adjustment I have room to account for it. Then I glue the fretboard onto the neck. Finish shaping and sanding the neck...

I also find that after nipping the ends of the frets all that is needed is a piece of 400 grit sandpaper on a sanding block is all that is needed to flush and dress the edges of the frets... a fret file or emery board for fingernails would work well if you want to do more refined work on the fret ends.
 
I never put a finish on a fretboard. At most I would oil it with lemon oil. You should check the tang thickness against the slot thickness. You might be trying to drive too large of a tang into too small of a slot. Ebony is less forgiving of this. I install frets after the board is glued on to the neck but that's just me. I like to level the board just before fretting it as it reduces the amount of fret leveling and crowning.
 
most fingerboards are not finished....especially ebony. Usually its just sanded smooth and maybe some lemon oil added. Buffing it out will give you that nice shine
Sounds like you have a pretty standard procedure for making fingerboards. What trouble are you having?
 
When I do ebony, the fret wants roll on it's side when pressing it in. I bend a little right angle knob to hang on to but sometime the slot will chip(ebony) then I have to repair. Just doesn't seem like the ebony want to cooperate. I have filed a bevel on the bottom of the fret and have run a file over the slot to relieve that a little and I know that the fret wire and the fret saw came from the same place and they are matched (LMII) then I heard about wetting the slot haven't tried that yet.
 
My procedure is as follows
  1. size fret board
  2. slot fret board
  3. taper fret board
  4. install fret dots and side markers
  5. radius fret board
  6. run file in fret slots on very hard wood (ebony isn't even close to being hard compared to most of the Australian hardwoods)
  7. install frets with arbour press
  8. bevel edges and dress fret ends
  9. glue to neck
  10. level and dress frets as required (rarely required if above steps done well)
 
Maybe it's your slotting blade or particular fret wire that's giving you problems. I use the Stew mac blades which cut a .023" slot along with their #764 or #147 fret wire which has a /025" wide tang. I never bevel the slots (unless the board has inlay on it) and never have problems with lay-over, etc. One builder of note that I know dips his finger in soapy water and runs it along the length of the tang before pressing the frets in. Maybe that'll work for you.
 
My procedure is as follows
  1. size fret board
  2. slot fret board
  3. taper fret board
  4. install fret dots and side markers
  5. radius fret board
  6. run file in fret slots on very hard wood (ebony isn't even close to being hard compared to most of the Australian hardwoods)
  7. install frets with arbour press
  8. bevel edges and dress fret ends
  9. glue to neck
  10. level and dress frets as required (rarely required if above steps done well)

Hi! Allen,
when do you thickness the fingerboard? Do you do that when you size the board?
Thanks..
 
I could SHOW you what I do...and I put in frets three different ways depending on...this 'n' that. But I'm not a good enough writer to adequately put it into dry words on a page or screen. Technique is everything. Touch is important. And being willing to approach it differently for different woods or different styles of instruments is important, too. That even gets down to sometimes fretting a board before gluing it to the neck...and sometimes after.

When I teach, we lightly tap the frets in place on tapered fingerboards, and then clamp all the frets in at once using a precision steel bar in the middle of a massive clamping setup with two fingerboards (with frets) face to face with the steel bar in the middle. We then inject superglue into the fret slots. Done this way...carefully...we can often get away with no fret leveling necessary. Allen saw this method about 14 months ago when we taught together in Cairns. It works.
 
I could SHOW you what I do...and I put in frets three different ways depending on...this 'n' that. But I'm not a good enough writer to adequately put it into dry words on a page or screen. Technique is everything. Touch is important. And being willing to approach it differently for different woods or different styles of instruments is important, too. That even gets down to sometimes fretting a board before gluing it to the neck...and sometimes after.

When I teach, we lightly tap the frets in place on tapered fingerboards, and then clamp all the frets in at once using a precision steel bar in the middle of a massive clamping setup with two fingerboards (with frets) face to face with the steel bar in the middle. We then inject superglue into the fret slots. Done this way...carefully...we can often get away with no fret leveling necessary. Allen saw this method about 14 months ago when we taught together in Cairns. It works.

Is there a video of this that you could share?
 
I didn't take any video of Rick fretting all those board, but I will say that he's about the best I've ever seen at it. Makes me look like I've got 10 thumbs. But lets face it. He's probably hammered in more frets than I've had lunches. I learnt more tricks from him in 5 days than I could have muddled through figuring out myself in 5 years.

In the class situation the steel bar is a great aid in getting everything right. I have one machined up for classes after seeing it in use, but in the workshop I still use tap the frets in at each end and use the arbour press to set them.

Uke for JC asked when I thickness the fret board. That's done as part of the sizing, and done before the slots are cut.

If it's not going to have a radius on it then the board is about 3.0 to 3.5mm thick depending on the size of the uke. If it's going to get a radiuses fret board then they start off at 4.5mm thick and get a 12" radius on them. Takes the sides down to the 3.2 to 3.5mm range when don.
 
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