2 days left on this ebay fretboard auction

I bought two of them, each one is enough for at least two uke fretboards, concert size or smaller, possibly four, if you can resaw the board in two, like I did last night. I just wanted to point it out, 'cause they're nice, at a good price, and shipping is only five bucks. He combined shipping on mine, and it was still only five bucks shipping.
Here's the auction.

Oh, and happy veteran's day, for those in the US, and Armistice Day for all the rest.

I remember checking those out a loong time ago...it looks cool, but they nickel dime you like crazy. If you got everything done you end up spending a million bucks on a fingerboard.

What specifics are you looking to have done on your fingerboard? Then we can sort out and balance what can be purchased and what you can do on your own easily.

cornfedgroove said:

I remember checking those out a loong time ago...it looks cool, but they nickel dime you like crazy. If you got everything done you end up spending a million bucks on a fingerboard.

What specifics are you looking to have done on your fingerboard? Then we can sort out and balance what can be purchased and what you can do on your own easily.

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I just bought the straight boards, nothing extra done--I will cut them to shape and fret them myself. I think I paid $26 altogether, and I possibly have enough for 8 concert sized fretboards. I say possibly because when I resawed them, one side came out slightly thinner than the other. The thin side can't take much finish sanding, but then only the side I resawed needs some, and that doesn't have to be super smooth. The other half came out perfect, in terms of thickness--plenty to work with if need be.

You could have bought this and gotten 10+ boards for $30 depending on how well you resaw. http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x2-x12-GABON-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439b59b03e

thistle3585 said:

You could have bought this and gotten 10+ boards for $30 depending on how well you resaw. http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x2-x12-GABON-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439b59b03e

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You wouldn't want to use that block, it's waxed... which means it is green.

Guaranteed to crack once you remove the wax. Ebony is probably the most difficult wood to dry properly.

thistle3585 said:

You could have bought this and gotten 10+ boards for $30 depending on how well you resaw. http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x2-x12-GABON-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439b59b03e

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I chose not to go that route. I decided to resaw when I saw they were nearly a half inch thick.

Is there any advantage to having a thicker or thinner fretboard?

I'm using the fretboard I received from Mainland as my guide. I'm well within its tolerances.

Ron - why are you constantly throwing curve balls? End waxing is not evidence that the wood is green. If you have dealt with tropical hardwoods for any length of time you will know that end waxing is standard practice for dense hardwoods green or dried! It does not signify moisture content.

You know what - I think you ought to research luthier practice more and be more circumspect in your comments. You are not a luthier and forgive me for reminding you, we have yet to see the ukulele you are working on. You may have a background in woodwork - we all have, but it isn't sufficiently specific to lutheiry enough to always provide reliable comment and advice on this board.

As a sidebar: that seller has a 100% positive feedback from 310 respondents. I guess they are all satisfied customers no? I suspect he knows what he is doing and talking about no?

Please put a little more thought into your posts Ron

camface said:

Is there any advantage to having a thicker or thinner fretboard?

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I don't know if thee is a "correct" thickness for a finger board. Many old ukes have very thin boards, 1/8" or less. Some have none at all. Personally I do not like the look of thick boards.
There are a few things I keep in mind.
One is the fret tang depth. I'm cutting slots from about .100" to 110" deep. I like the extra bit of clearance especially when doing any sort of inlay, dots or otherwise, where there's a chance that some glue may slip into the slots. Especially important with bound fret boards where you can't go back and recut. The worse feeling ever is to be fretting your board only to find that the tang won't bottom out! If you've got a board that is too thin there's a chance it'll beak on you while you're fretting or otherwise working with it.
The other consideration for me is neck thickness; the fret board will add to it. I prefer a rather thin, fast neck. I usually start with a board that is thicker than I need the finished board to be. After the slots are cut, the dots (or other) inlay is leveled, and the top of the board is sanded to my final finish, I will then run the board through my thickness sander upside down until I've reached the desired thickness.
The final reason I like to start with the board a little thicker has to do with action. I check the action on my ukes before gluing anything up. I want the strings to be a certain height above the sound board and I want the bridge to be a certain thickness, neither too tall or too short. Messing with the fret board thickness at this stage allows you so minor adjustment to the final action.

BTW, I normally don't measure things unless someone asks me how thick or thin something is (like slot depth). I do most of it by eye, which after a lot of practice is a better way for me to do things. All the usual disclaimers apply.

Pete Howlett said:

Ron - why are you constantly throwing curve balls? End waxing is not evidence that the wood is green. If you have dealt with tropical hardwoods for any length of time you will know that end waxing is standard practice for dense hardwoods green or dried! It does not signify moisture content.

You know what - I think you ought to research luthier practice more and be more circumspect in your comments. You are not a luthier and forgive me for reminding you, we have yet to see the ukulele you are working on. You may have a background in woodwork - we all have, but it isn't sufficiently specific to lutheiry enough to always provide reliable comment and advice on this board.

As a sidebar: that seller has a 100% positive feedback from 310 respondents. I guess they are all satisfied customers no? I suspect he knows what he is doing and talking about no?

Please put a little more thought into your posts Ron

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Give me a bloody break

That whole block of wood is waxed, not just the end grain.

Once properly dried endgrain is not waxed. If you had a real clue instead of being such a damn blowhard you would know.

I tell you what, you buy it and tell us what happens.

And yes I deal a lot with exotic woods.

Come on guys, this is a useful thread. No one wants it closed because of people throwing insults and bickering.

Interesting stuff Chuck. I remember seeing a video where Pete showed us why he glues on his fretboards after he has fretted them. The board was quite bowed and he suggested it can cause warping in the neck. Wouldn't a thicker fretboard help to counteract that as well (not saying it outweighs the consequences you have mentioned)?

A fret board would have to be unrealistically thick in oder to not to bend after fretting. The fret tangs are a bit wider than the slots and some arcing of the board is normal, but it's very minimal. But even after the frets are in, the board remains very flexible, easily laying flat on the neck while it's glued on. I really doubt if it has and effect on subsequent warping or bowing of the neck. Oh, and of course the neck and fret board are always glued and clamped together with the aid of a caul, ensuring straightness.

yea really ... 2 respected guys on uu .. can we calm it down some and make it a peaceful thread please ? i mean of course you can disagree but you can politely disagree on something

I apologize for my part in this this.
So there is no mistake, I'm not apologizing to pete, only the rest of you.

Remember I didn't start this.
The next next he insults me, expect the same.
I don't take it well with when people lie about me.

Just to bring it back around to the original topic: these fretboard blanks are very nice, and are cheaper than those offered by StewMac, with a wider selection of woods to choose from. The seller is fast, organized and honest. Shipping is very reasonable. That is all.

Here is the deal with gaboon ebony. It can not be kiln dried in thickness over 1". It is just to dense. All that will happen is the ebony becomes case harden.

We have a 20' x 8', state of the art vacuum kiln, so beleive me when I say we have tried.

RonS said:

Here is the deal with gaboon ebony. It can not be kiln dried in thickness over 1". It is just to dense. All that will happen is the ebony becomes case harden.

We have a 20' x 8', state of the art vacuum kiln, so beleive me when I say we have tried.

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You have to admit though that a board that is waxed is not always a sign that it is green. ALL of the fretboards that I have bought from StewMac, LMI and Cumberland have been waxed on the ends. I've known suppliers who have supplied boards fully waxed because they didn't want the material to warp in transit. I don't think that makes much sense, and I don't buy it because it makes a mess of my planer, but to each his own. My point is that I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying something based on the fact that it is whole or partially waxed, but to make sure they ask the right questions as to its status so that they know what they are getting. This is the reason a lot of people pay a premium for tonewood. They pay more for the supplier's expertise than the lumber.

I buy Martin boards that are waxed. If fact all the ebony I buy is waxed wether it is 4/4 or larger cants. We also wax all the ends of our koa as soon as it is milled. I buy and sell koa boards that are five and ten years old where the ends are waxed and the moisture content is 6 to 8%.

thistle3585 said:

You have to admit though that a board that is waxed is not always a sign that it is green.

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I'll agree with that, but this block is completely waxed, not just on the ends. Remember, we are talking about my statement, which has to do with the ebony in the auction, not every block of wood under the sun.

1)Totally waxing a properly dried piece of wood is a waste of money, it doesn't add to the stability of the lumber. There is a chance that it can do more harm than good.

2) I'm involved with a lot of woodturners and I can tell you this, every time a newbie buys a block of wood that is completely waxed to turn on their lathe it cracks on them because it was green.

3) Ebony billets are no longer being shipped out of Africa. The pictures you see above was one of the last containers to leave that part of the world. The only ebony legally leaving Cameroon and Gaboon is processed. That means fretboards, sculptures, and 2" square lengths of green waxed ebony. (Cameroon and Gaboon is the only place Gaboon ebony grows)

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

I buy Martin boards that are waxed. If fact all the ebony I buy is waxed wether it is 4/4 or larger cants. We also wax all the ends of our koa as soon as it is milled. I buy and sell koa boards that are five and ten years old where the ends are waxed and the moisture content is 6 to 8%.

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The last time I was at thier factory only the ends where waxed.

I see you are only waxing the ends of the koa and not the complete board.

I'll stand by my statement... a completely waxed block of ebony will be green. To handle a block of ebony that has been completely waxed and working it as if it wasn't green will be asking for problems.

Ebony is different than koa. (we know that)
Let me back up a bit... I never worked with koa so all my information is second hand.

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Let me tell you a story.

We had a huge gaboon ebony billet that was 25 years old. I'm talking about 8" in diameter. We got an order in for 5/4" thick stock. We sliced this big billet and we checked the MC at center... after 25 years it was at 28% MC. We had to turn down a huge order because we knew it couldn't be dried properly.

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Waterfall Bubunga - 18" long 7'10" at the widest (that's me)



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Bottom line: don't believe me, instead buy the wood in the Ebay auction and see what happens for yourself.