Fretboard before or after finish?

eclipsme

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Is there any reason not to apply finishing to the uke prior to attaching the fretboard?

I am at the point that the body is ready for the fretboard, which would normally be my next step (see pic). Afterward that I would turn to the finish.

Instead, I would like to mask the area of the fretboard and take the uke through the finishing process before attaching the fretboard. Seems cleaner to me.

Hope this is clear!
What am I missing?

Thanks!
 

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I would glue the fingerboard down prior to finishing, so that the fingerboard is completely flush with the neck, and the finish is even between the neck and the sides of the fingerboard. I would suggest (depending on what kind of finish you use) to finish the neck and body pre-glue-up, this makes it really easy to finish the top of the body, and the sides near the heel, without getting a buildup of finish at the joint.
 
I would glue the fingerboard down prior to finishing, so that the fingerboard is completely flush with the neck, and the finish is even between the neck and the sides of the fingerboard. I would suggest (depending on what kind of finish you use) to finish the neck and body pre-glue-up, this makes it really easy to finish the top of the body, and the sides near the heel, without getting a buildup of finish at the joint.

I see... the difficulty is really that the side of the fretboard needs to be finished along with he neck. Can't expect to do that sep[arately and have it match up.

I use the Spanish heel construction, so the sides and neck are integral.

Thanks for the pointer.
 
I would not do it this way and I'm wondering why you do but I suppose you could do it. But first you will have to find the exact spot your saddle and bridge are going to land with a fretboard that is not securely attached to the neck. Tricky. Then after finishing you will have to glue the fretboard to the EXACT spot you used to measure from to find the bridge location. I would also mask off where the fretboard tongue will land if you plan on gluing that to the top and you need to tape off the bridge location also. Then when you are done and glue the fretboard down you will have to finish off the side of your fretboard which means you still have to mask off the fretboard. .... Seems like a lot of extra work for a little payoff unless I am missing something which is quite possible.
 
I would not do it this way and I'm wondering why you do but I suppose you could do it. But first you will have to find the exact spot your saddle and bridge are going to land with a fretboard that is not securely attached to the neck. Tricky. Then after finishing you will have to glue the fretboard to the EXACT spot you used to measure from to find the bridge location. I would also mask off where the fretboard tongue will land if you plan on gluing that to the top and you need to tape off the bridge location also. Then when you are done and glue the fretboard down you will have to finish off the side of your fretboard which means you still have to mask off the fretboard. .... Seems like a lot of extra work for a little payoff unless I am missing something which is quite possible.

I haven't, but am considering.

It is not only the masking of the fretboard, it is also about the buildup I get around the tongue that attracts me to this.

The positioning of the bridge can be accomplished after fixing the fretboard, as far as I can see.

So yes, while masking the fretboard might be the same either way, perhaps the potential of getting a cleaner line between the fretboard and the body might make this avenue more worthwhile.

Then again, perhaps this is more of an issue with my spray technique... How do you avoid the buildup at these intersections?
 
The positioning of the bridge can be accomplished after fixing the fretboard, as far as I can see.

But how will you know where the bridge is going to go so you can mask off the footprint before you spray. You can route off the finish to bare wood for gluing but that can be tricky, tricky... You can't glue the bridge to finished wood. I probably missed something.
 
But how will you know where the bridge is going to go so you can mask off the footprint before you spray. You can route off the finish to bare wood for gluing but that can be tricky, tricky... You can't glue the bridge to finished wood. I probably missed something.

Ken Timms has a video where he locates the bridge after finishing and scrapes to bare wood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QThsR5c9NRA
Starts around 5:30 in...
 
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