Fret slot template

First project, a tenor from an LMI plan. Although I will not be doing this in anything approaching production, I do expect, having made the templates and forms and jigs, that I will make at least one or two more. That being the case I should have a template to cut fret slots.

Are they all created equal? Do you get what you pay for? Is there a brand that I should prefer?

Grateful for any help you might have!

I can't make comparisons but I do use a guitar fretboard together with a cut down version of this jig. https://westfarthingwoodworks.com/guitar-fretboard-slotting-jig/
The capo principal means if you start 14 frets up from the bottom on mine you get a 345mm scale fret board go up one more it is 365. Being careful to measure from the nut to the 12th fret doubling that to get the scale length typing that into the stewmac fret calculator putting all those numbers into a spreadsheet and working out the scale lengths possible.
Then add a smidge for intonation.
My first dozen or so ukes were either manual measurement or using http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/
The pdfs it creates were being shrunk to fit by adobe reader so I had to play with options to get it to print without scaling.

ChuckBarnett said:

First project, a tenor from an LMI plan. Although I will not be doing this in anything approaching production, I do expect, having made the templates and forms and jigs, that I will make at least one or two more. That being the case I should have a template to cut fret slots.

Are they all created equal? Do you get what you pay for? Is there a brand that I should prefer?

Grateful for any help you might have!

Click to expand...

I have used the LMI fret slotting template dual-purpose concert and tenor for many years. Works perfectly for me.

For my first dozen or more ukuleles I downloaded the fret dimensions from an online calculation chart, then I used a vernier caliper gauge to mark out the fret positions.
I know a bloke who does it with a 12 inch steel ruler and gets perfect intonation.

You can use a a Fender scale length fret template and adjust or get one from Bob at Pegasus Ukuleles and Guitars.

This is my favorite thing on the internet. http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/

Print out, spray adhesive to board, cut.

LMI provides a fret slotting service for , i think, $9 per fre board. if your not making many ukes, i'd just use that

Beau Hannam Ukuleles said:

LMI provides a fret slotting service for , i think, $9 per fre board. if your not making many ukes, i'd just use that

Click to expand...

Or... just buy a pre-slotted fretboard from SMD. Here: http://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/?search=ukulele tenor fretboards